VIRGINIA WORKING LANDSCAPES

The Brotzman Property

2017 Biodiversity Survey Results

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INTRODUCTION

At Virginia Working Landscapes (VWL), our mission is to promote sustainable land use

and conservation of native biodiversity through research, education, and community en-

gagement. VWL formed as a partnership convened by the Smithsonian Conservation Biol-

ogy Institute (SCBI) in 2010, from a growing desire of regional

landowners, citizen scientists, and conservation organizations

to conserve Northern Virginia’s native wildlife on working

lands. VWL staff and a team of SCBI scientists, graduate stu-

dents, interns, and citizen scientists now conduct Biodiversity

Surveys on over 150 properties in the Northern Virginia region.

These surveys help us better understand the factors that affect

the region’s biodiversity and results can be used to help devel-

op best practices for biodiversity conservation and manage-

ment.

In this report, you will find a summary of the 2017 VWL Biodi-

versity Survey for The Brotzman Property. By January 2018, you

will also be able to download this report from our website and

see reports from other properties across multiple years. We

are grateful for your participation and hope these results are

insightful. For questions about this report, please contact our Outreach Coordinator,

Charlotte Lorick at (540)-635-0038 or email us at SCBIVWL@si.edu. To learn more about

our program, visit our website (www.vaworkinglandscapes.org) or Facebook page

(www.facebook.com/VirginiaWorkingLandscapes).

Photo by Jennifer Davis

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METHODS

Overview

In 2017 we conducted surveys on 56 total properties spanning 14 counties from Augusta and

Albemarle to Loudoun and Prince William. In grasslands, we conducted a total of 90 plant sur-

veys, 100 pollinator surveys, and 234 breeding bird point counts. We also collected 42 soil

samples, conducted 77 invasive plant transect surveys in forests, and deployed 118 remote

cameras for mammal surveys.

In fields and forests at The Brotzman Property, invasive plant surveys were performed from

May to August.

Due to the nature of sampling methods, the species lists do not necessarily reflect all species

that occur on a property.

Invasive Plant Survey Methods:

The invasive plant survey was developed to help document

the spread of exotic species across the landscape. This work is

directly attributable to the Changing Landscape Initiative

http://www.vaworkinglandscapes.org/research/changing-

landscapes-initiative). This survey was conducted on proper-

ties containing large forest patches from late-May to August.

At each site, VWL staff recorded the presence of a select list

of invasive plant species along a 100 m transect surveyed in

10 m segments (see Figure 1 page 4). All transects were at

least 60 m from the forest edge. Additional forest composi-

tion data were collected that account for differences in forest

type and age. For more information on invasive species and how to manage them, please visit

our partners at the Blue Ridge PRISM (www.blueridgeprism.org).

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SURVEY LOCATIONS

Figure 1. 2017 Survey Locations at The Brotzman Property. 2 invasive plant transects were surveyed.

Color Survey Type Survey Transect Latitude Longitude

Green Invasive Plants 1 38.666970° -78.105100°

2 38.666570° -78.104500°

RESULTS SUMMARY

Invasive plant transects at The Brotzman Property recorded 5 species considered to be invasive

in the Northern Virginia area. The most common species found in this survey was Japanese

honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) (See Table 1). For more information on invasive species and

how to manage them, please visit our partners at the Blue Ridge PRISM

(www.blueridgeprism.org).

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INVASIVE PLANT SURVEYS

Common Name Genus Species Proportion of

Species Found*

Japanese honeysuckle Lonicera japonica 0.8

Chinese privet Ligustrum sinese 0.3

Japanese stiltgrass Microstegium vimineum 0.3

Multiflora rose Rosa multiflora 0.2

Garlic mustard Alliaria petiolata 0.1

Tree of heaven Ailanthus altissima 0.0

Porcelainberry Ampelopsis brevipedunculata 0.0

Oriental bittersweet Celastrus orbiculatus 0.0

Mile-a-minute vine Persicaria perfoliata 0.0

Kudzu Pueraria montana var. lobata 0.0

Wavy leaf basket grass Oplismenus hirtellus ssp. Undulatifolius 0.0

Wineberry Rubus phoenicolasius 0.0

Autumn olive Elaeagnus umbellate 0.0

Japanese barberry Berberis thunbergii 0.0

Table 1: 2017 Invasive Plant Survey Results from The Brotzman Property. The survey for 14 non-native invasive species (most of which are identified as highly invasive by the Department of Conservation and Recreation) detected the following species on your property. For more information on invasive species and how to manage them, please visit our partners at the Blue Ridge PRISM (www.blueridgeprism.org).

Japanese Barberry, Berberis thunbergii. Photo by Calin Darabus.

Japanese Honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica. Source: Wikipedia

*Proportion represents the number of times a species was found in each segment of each transect. For example, a proportion of 1.0 would

indicate the species was found in every 10 meter segment of every transect.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Our volunteers play a vital role in the success of Virginia Working Landscapes, and to

them we are grateful. We would like to thank The Brotzman Family for contributing to the

efforts of Virginia Working Landscapes by allowing us to survey your property. The data

we collect will allow us to inform sustainable management practices in the Northern Vir-

ginia region and further protect native wildlife. We look forward to working collaborative-

ly well into the future!

VWL is supported by private philanthropy and our work is made possible by the generous

contributions from our community.

To support our program, contact Molly Dodge at DodgeM@si.edu, (540) 635-0071

The Smithsonian Institution is a 501(c)(3). All contributions are tax-deductible.