Weed Management and Invasive Species Control - Project Planning and Management for Ecological Restoration - page 192

5. Keep accurate records. Make periodic surveys, and map the weed infestations. Mapping is
useful to show stakeholders and governmental agency personnel the progress of the work,
and for later reference in planning future work.
WEED ERADICATION: SATELLITE COLONIES
We emphasize the Bradleys' recommendation of focusing on the isolated satellite colony. The
reason for this is the phenomenal rate of area increase by these small satellites. The rate and
combined areas of increase typically exceed the single core area. Figure 12-1 illustrates the overall
effect of satellite colony increases compared to the area increase exhibited by the large core area.
The figure assumes the area of the single core colony is equal to the fifty colonies. For purposes of
this example, assume each colony, regardless of size, increases outward only one foot each year,
an increase in the diameter of two feet. The figure dramatically shows how the fifty colonies can
overtake an area more effectively than the single core population.
FIGURE 12-1. This graph illustrates the importance of controlling small colonies over a single, large core
colony of exotic plants. Using an equivalent rate of annual spreading, the sum of the small colonies rapidly
increases in the area occupied, far exceeding the area of the single, large core colony.