Tackling Invasive Plant Control in Vermont
Seed catalogs have long been abandoned, as many of us are grabbing onto our shovels and rakes, waiting for the weather to warm and the ground to thaw. If invasive plant control is on your “to-do” this spring, here are some recommendations for useful tools, and resources for how to use them.
Ever tried to grub up a full grown shrub? Many of the woody invasive plants in Vermont are shrubs, and there is a great tool for tackling these thick rooted rascals: the weed wrench! (see picture)
At the moment, these are the current sources of this tool, and we are not advocating for any one particular company. Also, check with your local Conservation Commission, many are starting to keep this tool handy, and let us know if you find other sources of this tool!
http://www.pullerbear.com/index.html
Each species listed on vtinvasives.org has a fact sheet and a treatment sheet. Check out the species specific treatment sheets for recommendations on what type of treatment is most effective. The sheets include information on plant phenology, which impacts the success of the types of treatment.
Here are a few example pages:
If you’d like to read about what has worked for others, check out the case studies page on vtinvasives.org, or check out a newer tool, created by the Association of Vermont Conservation Commissions: Conservation Stories
If you are an organization looking to tackle an invasive plant management plan, or to start thinking about the costs of invasive plant control, consider using this tool (in BETA!) put out by New York iMapInvasives and The Nature Conservancy. This tool is “in the works”, and is designed for New Yorkers, but the basic questions are a great place to start for Vermonters.
Article Credit: Elizabeth Spinney, VT Forests, Parks and Recreation
Photo Credit: Elizabeth Spinney, VT Forests, Parks and Recreation, “foresters vs. buckthorn”