Grace Aho

European mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia) is a species of deciduous tree whose native range extends across Europe and parts of western Asia. First introduced to North America as an ornamental tree, the species has become reproductively viable in many natural regions and is characterized as invasive throughout parts of the United States. Preliminary research shows Duluth, Minnesota, to be a region where the species has the ability to grow quickly. Rapid expansion may cause concern for those hoping to mitigate its spread. We collaborated with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to inventory European Mountain Ash stands throughout the Duluth area. EDDmapS, an online system for documenting invasive species distribution, guided our research. Three stands across the city with a high percentage of European Mountain Ash trees compared to native trees were determined and recorded on the EDDmapS database. Our findings show European Mountain Ash to be widespread throughout the Duluth area, infringing on the habitats of native organisms and potentially reducing the amounts of valuable resources such as soil nutrients and sunlight available to other species. Future steps involve the collection of cores from individual trees. Through analysis of annual growth rings, age and the growth patterns of the species will be analyzed.