The only success I have noted requires tenacity and a strong back. We have both R. cathartica and R. frangula here in Western NY. Seedlings can be pulled. I spray the larger ones with herbicide containing glycophosphate (Rodeo, Round-up) and try to throw down grass seed or plantings in the area after everything is dead. This seems to work good but is labor intensive. I've heard of similar success involving stacking brush on top of buckthorn thickets to create burn piles but have not tried it myself. Either way, as with all invasives, areas not vegetated or subject to disturbance require frequent monitoring to slow-down/curb future infestations. Travis
On Thu, Oct 2, 2008 at 9:11 AM, Kirk Johnson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Interesting facts, thanks! > > It would have been difficult to imagine the extent of the problem here in > the ANF if I had not seen it with my own eyes. I knew buckthorn was present > here, but wow is that stuff aggressive. > > > >> They've been a real big problem here in the western Great Lakes for 20-30 or >> more years. They are still used as a landscape plant, although there is >> finally serious talk about laws to eliminate there sale here. >> >> They've impeded prairie and wetland restoration and preservation efforts here >> and are severely impacting savanna remnants. In wetlands, they've dropped >> surface water tables (through transpiration) by up to 2 feet in some cases, >> thereby aiding the introduction of other alien invasives in adjacent >> wetlands. >> Local conservation groups have volunteer-based buckthorn busting events from >> time to time. >> >> Lee has mentioned to me in the past that our black cherry is invasive in >> Europe and out competes buckthorn there, while the opposite occurs here. >> >> They are hard on the chainsaws and wood chippers, and stump sprout >> aggressively, requiring concentrated Round-up on fresh cut stumps to finish >> them off. They are also very difficult to start on fire even on dried up >> brush piles, but will burn extremely hot once they are started. >> >> I've also heard that waxwings actually prefer their berries, to their own >> detriment. Apparently the coloring of bohemian/cedar waxwings changes if >> they >> eat non-native berries such as buckthorn, and the males become less >> attractive >> to females, thereby reducing their success at mating and maintaining their >> population levels. >> >> Paul Jost > > > > > > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org You are subscribed to the Google Groups "ENTSTrees" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
