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Buckthorn Management at River Bend Nature CenterRiver Bend's ongoing efforts to eradicate an invasive species |
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The Plant and the Problems European (common) buckthorn (Rhamnus carthartica) is an invasive shrub species and is particularly troublesome in our region of southeastern Minnesota. Nearly every woodland and even many fields in this area have buckthorn infestations, which are detrimental to both the health of the forest, native wildlife, and even local agriculture. It was introduced as a landscape shrub, primarily for hedges and borders, and readily spreads through bird consumption of the berries and resulting dropping of the seeds elsewhere on the landscape. Click these links for more information on the identification, natural history and ecological threats of this non-native species. History in River Bend Buckthorn control efforts in River Bend began in the early-to-mid 1990's and have intensified since 2000. Since much of River Bend is abandoned agricultural land in one form or another, most woodlands and brush lands across our 750 acres have at least some level of buckthorn infestation, whether it be patches of small saplings or acres of mature buckthorn "trees." As a small non-profit organization without a grounds maintenance staff, The nature center is dependant on the coordination of volunteers and outside crews to provide most of the labor, funded by various sources, and is very grateful for their assistance:
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Control Mechanisms Employed at River Bend River Bend uses a variety of methods to control or eliminate buckthorn on our grounds depending on the age of the plants, proximity to rare or sensitive features, and other varying conditions. The chart below sums up most of our efforts:
Help on the Horizon? Efforts are underway to create a biological control mechanism for buckthorn, similar to the one developed a few years ago to control and eliminate purple loosestrife. Click this external link to read more about this exciting work that holds great promise in the battle against buckthorn in Minnesota and elsewhere. Links to more information on the Web |