Yep, another "how to" post on controlling those pesky, darn, irrepressible invasive plant species. It's fall here in Vermont (or late summer in our new normal), which first means blazing deciduous foliage, then stick season (or what used to be winter, before, you know, catastrophic global warming...). So what does stick season mean for managing invasives? Well, one of the (many, many) advantages these species have over natives is early leaf out and late leaf fall. So - when everything else is red or yellow or orange, or bare boned, your buckthorn and honeysuckle and privet and multiflora rose and Asian bittersweet are all still green, maybe yellowing somewhat but certainly greener than the species that evolved here over the past thousands and millions of years. This, of course, gives them a growth advantage over natives, up to 20-25% according to some sources, and goes a long way towards explaining how they take over so quickly (especially on disturbed sites).
But what these little buggers don't know (or maybe they do...) is that this also gives the dedicated invasive hunter an advantage. As in, if invasives are the only green things out there, this makes them right easy to identify and take out, doesn't it? Well, okay, easier. In all seriousness, late fall and early spring are the best times to find and remove all the non-native invasive plant species, including herbaceous species like garlic mustard and burdock. Plus it's nice and cool out, perfect weather for hunting and gathering (of a sort), and there's little or no undergrowth to wade through. It really is the best time of the year for this kind of work, and seeing as how you're probably already going for long hikes through the beautiful fall forest, wear your gloves, pack your saw, bring your 2.5 pound pickaxe (best uprooting tool out there) and give your land some love. You'll get twice as much done in half the time. Just make sure to spray yourself head to toe (this is not an exaggeration) with 25% DEET, because ticks are not something you want to mess with.
Stewardship of the land is not an option. Native Americans extensively managed their landscapes for food, hunting, and shelter while living within the limits of their ecologies. This is what we have to relearn, whether it's with sustainable timber harvests or building food forests or conserving forever wild spaces or just loving the land you live on and with. It's no longer enough to merely passively enjoy these cathedrals of nature. So get out there as the leaves blaze and drop, find those invasive species, and get your hands dirty. There is no greater good than this.
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