by Steven Blaisdell, Balanced Ecological Systems In 2024, I was tasked with the removal of invasive trees and shrubs on an eleven-acre National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) contracted site in…
Invasive Plants
A Community-Based Program for Management of Japanese Knotweed
By Mike Bald
Like a handful of other invasive plant species, Japanese knotweed is tenacious and persistent on the one hand but economically useful and often medicinally beneficial on the other. Landowners and town leaders know that invasive species are impressive colonizers, and without a comprehensive plan to manage large corridors on the landscape, re-infestation is virtually unavoidable.
Wetland Design & Implementation
By Michael DeRosa
Effective and sustaining landscapes are informed by the surrounding environment. They are created by incorporating structural and species diversity into planting schemes to push minimalist restoration efforts to efficient results.
Climate Change and Invasive Species
By Carrie Brown-Lima
Invasive species are on the rise as trade and travel accelerate the introduction and spread of new species in a way never seen before. Simultaneously, our climate is changing at an unprecedented rate resulting in climate extremes. While these two phenomena are each daunting challenge to biodiversity, their impacts can act synergistically and present additional hurdles for conservation and sustainability.
Goats as an Ecological Management Option for Invasive Plants
by Sandy Vorce
“Gotta get a goat” was the author’s mantra a decade ago as she struggled against bittersweet, buckthorn, and multiflora rose to regain a portion of meadow at Mass Audubon’s property in Belmont, MA. Her wish was granted, and the property now successfully utilizes a four-hoofed crew for control of invasive plants. Read the article.
Controlling Invasive Species During Restoration
Contributions by Julie Snell and Ellen Snyder
Invasive plants can cause significant challenges at restoration sites. We asked ELA two members to share their experiences managing invasive plants and to offer tips for success.
Eco-Answers from the Pros: Managing Invasive Honeysuckle
I run an organic landscape design/build, and we constantly are dealing with honeysuckle removal. Currently our eradication method involves cutting the honeysuckle down to the stump and applying an organic…
Proactive Weeding of Our Gardens of the Future
by Bethany Bradley
Humans are very good at introducing new invasive plants and spreading them far beyond their native ranges. Given the expected pressures of climate change on native species, what role might humans play in assisting native species that will need to migrate further and faster than natural dispersal will allow?
Rethinking Black Locust
by Dan Jaffe
Considered invasive in some New England states, black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) does not cause the ecological harm of many other species categorized as invasive. Given the ebb and flow of plant populations over time and the challenges of successful invasive removal, how should we treat black locust?
Watershed Restoration
by Tao Orion This excerpt is adapted from Tao Orion’s book Beyond the War on Invasive Species: A Permaculture Approach to Ecosystem Restoration (Chelsea Green, 2015) and is printed with permission…
A Word About Weeds
by Teri Dunn Chace Excerpts taken from How to Eradicate Invasive Plants © Copyright 2013 by Teri Dunn Chace. Published by Timber Press, Portland, OR. Used by permission of the…
How Do Nurseries Handle Invasive Plants?
ELA recently posed a few questions to regional nurseries to find out how they learning about and controlling distribution of known invasive plants and those plants that might become invasive.