Accent on Natural Landscaping

Donna VanBuecken

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Resources
  • Organizations & Blogs
  • Archives
  • Contact

Good News for a Change — Invasives

May 24, 2019

Carol Andrews, Past President of the Wild Ones Arrowhead Chapter in Duluth, Minnesota sent me this story and I couldn’t wait to share it. Researchers participated in a long-term project in the Arboretum at Pennsylvania State University which involved the removal of 18 invasive shrub species in 2009. As they monitored for any re-occurance of non-native species over the next seven years, they found an increase in native plant diversity through the passive regrowth of understory species and some limited regrowth of overstory trees through natural regeneration.*

A plant community made up of White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum), False Rue Anemone (Isopyrum biternatum) and a variety of ferns is indicative of a healthy understory.

Because this 42 acre tract of old growth forest known as Hartley Wood was near a municipal park and a large residential area, it had become overrun by non-native species (likely introduced by uncaring shoes, clothing and tires). Non-native invasive shrubs, as we’ve all witnessed, create a dense, greedy understory typically non-usable by native wildlife, while native shrub understory becomes part of a healthy and stable forest ecosystem shared by birds, insects and other forest wildlife.

* Regrowth of native overstory trees was not as observable not only because of length of time for regrowth, but also because of known deer browse. There was also the closed-canopy which limited light conditions during the growing season.

So what does this mean for us?

Regardless whether you’re working in an area which has been disturbed time and again by development or in an area which may be old field or an old growth forest, the findings of this research confirms the need to work in an area small enough and affordable enough to manage from one season to the next. Remove all invasive species all at once, and then plan to continually monitor that area for any regrowth of non-native species.

Volunteer painting the cut trunk of an invasive buckthorn tree with herbicide at the WILD Center.

In a totally disturbed and probably even filled area, developing a native habitat will require a lot of work because you’ll be “starting from scratch” — any native plant seed or root systems will likely have been buried or destroyed. But I’m thinking in an old field area, you might see regrowth of some pre-existing native species. I know we did when we first began eradicating the Wild Parsnip from the old field next to the WILD Center. But we didn’t wait for seven years. After the third season of treatment, we added to the already regenerating native species by seeding the site with prairie species.

In an old growth forest area, I think I’d do the same thing — remove all invasive species all at once from an area the size you can handle successfully, and then plan to continually monitor that area for any regrowth of non-native species. The cited research indicates that native ephemerals, ferns and other typical understory plants should regenerate on their own. If you’re not willing to wait long-term for complete regrowth, you can always supplement with plants purchased through a reputable native plant nursery or your local Wild Ones chapter plant sale.

Read the complete study Invasive shrub removal benefits native plants in an eastern deciduous forest of North America. See also photos.

   Send article as PDF   

Comments

  1. Cindy Donahey says

    May 24, 2019 at 3:17 pm

    You can dig out an area right next to say bush honeysuckle, and then amend it with bird droppings to simulate Carolina parakeet droppings. Add rotted leaves and wood. and then plant red honeysuckle, crossvine, trumpet vine and passionflower and step out of the way. No large mammals to eat non-native invasive shrubs. Zoos won’t lend these animals out anymore.

    Passenger pigeons nested in the grapevine woods and then returned for a meal in the fall. They also ate bittersweet.

    Corduroy logs were made out of cut vines and crooked trees.

    Reply
    • Donna VanBuecken says

      May 26, 2019 at 7:28 am

      Thanks for sharing your experience with tackling invasive species, Cindy.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Signup button.

Recent Posts

  • OVER-THE-COUNTER NATIVE PLANT SALE MAY 21
  • WOFVA’s NATIVE PLANT SALE MAY 21
  • Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA)
  • Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame 2022 Inductees
  • Native Landscaping Design

Category Archives

  • Biodiversity
    • Monarchs
    • Pollinators
  • Birds
  • Climate Change
  • Events
  • Fire
  • Funding
  • Garden and Landscape Design
  • Heroes
  • Homestead
    • Recipe
  • Invasive Plants
  • Native plant garden design
  • Native Plants
  • Natural Landscaping
  • Prairie
  • Public Comment Opportunity
  • Railroad
  • The Sky
  • Wellbeing
  • Wetlands
  • Wildflowers
    • Trees & Shrubs
  • Wildlife
    • Wolves
  • Wisconsin
  • Women
  • Woodlands

Copyright 2005-2018
Donna VanBuecken