Multiflora rose is one of the nastiest invasive species I work with. Besides the skin piercing thorns, the stems can grow all over each other, climb twenty feet up into trees, and become an impenetrable thicket. On this particular site, the multiflora is so dense that I didn't find much life after the mess was removed. Sometimes a thicket like this will shelter some tree and shrub seedlings and saplings from deer predation, but all I found were a few stunted spicebush (deer resistant native shrub) and a few beech trees a couple feet tall that the deer have been feeding on. This situation is very common in forest canopy gaps where trees have fallen and suddenly there is a spot with full sun available on the forest floor. Even small multiflora roses can have a deep root system so digging everyone of them up is not an option with large scale infestations. The stems are cut and removed and herbicide is applied to the stumps. This is referred to as the cut stump method of herbicide application. This method is very efficient since only a small amount of herbicide is used as opposed to hosing everything down during the growing season which requires much more herbicide and will incur collateral damage to nearby plants we want growing. Without using herbicide on these larger plots, the multiflora will be right back where it was in a couple of years. A follow-up herbicide application will be needed in April when spot treatments will be needed. Also, I should take pictures while wearing my glasses!
Here is our updated summer grow list! We have more species available, just not in large quantities. If you do not see something that you want, just get ahold of us. We may have it or we may be able to get it!
Native plants for sale! This year we will be publishing availability more frequently to keep up with demand and to let customers know about new options as the year progresses. There are more species available that aren't on this list that we probably don't have much of at the moment. If you want something you don't see, just ask, we might have it or it may be available later in the year.
Most woodlots or smaller forests in central Ohio need help. Old pasture and cropland are usually choked with honeysuckle, multi-flora rose, and a host of other invasive species. In younger forests you can find honey locust, ash, black cherry and hopefully other tree species making up the canopy. Deer are limiting what species are able to grow. There also aren't many bids.
Removing the big invasive species first is a huge step. After removing invasive shrubs you can see what was hidden by the tangled undergrowth. Depending on the site, I usually find ash, box elder, and hickory saplings. Sometimes a random spice bush and viburnums are present, always suppressed by the overgrowth of invasive species and deer browse. The forest floor is usually devoid of anything worth noting. Once the invasive species are removed, then the deer are the deciding factor for what direction to take next. It is tempting to plant a variety of native trees and shrubs to enhance the sight's value, but it can end up being a waste of time and money. That being said, spicebush and paw paw are the two native plants I see deer avoid consistently. That may not be true for every site, though. The continued management plan is to primarily keep invasive species from becoming a problem again. The deer will always be a problem, so there really is no sense trying to fight it. You have to find out what native plants existing on the sight are succeeding. |
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December 2023
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