Assessment of plant community restoration following Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) control by Verticillium albo-atrum

Abstract

Tree-of-Heaven (TOH) is a highly invasive woody species incurring substantial investment in control efforts across its extensive adventive range. A recently isolated strain of the fungus Verticillium albo-atrum has been found to cause near 100 % mortality of TOH in laboratory and field tests. We assessed plant communities in experimentally infected TOH stands 5–6 years post treatment and compared them to uninfected control stands. We found no statistically significant differences in introduced or native species cover between treated and control stands. Healthy TOH stands often harbor substantial populations of native and introduced invasive species, and on average, successful control of overstory TOH by V. albo-atrum did not alter vegetation cover in these communities. V. albo-atrum appears to be a promising tool in targeted control of TOH that carries a relatively low risk of opportunistic weed replacement.