ArMi's First War: black swallow-wort at Hill's Hill

The Arlington MA Invasives 'ArMI' has taken on some challenging projects in the past month, including battling a big oriental bittersweet plant (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/85030546) and some patches of black swallow-wort (BSW), but we have a much more ambitious goal right now; we found an entire grove in Hill's Hill which has been taken over by BSW (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/84479644). We are going to beat back that nasty invasion, and eventually destroy it. The plan is as follows:

PLAN: We are going to start by cutting and bagging the plants so the seed pods won't burst and spread.

• cut the stems a few inches from the ground, without disturbing the roots, as that encourages new root growth
• strip any leaves left on the plant to help starve it of carbohydrates

• clear the entire patch in this manner, making sure to gather all the seed pods for disposal
  When this is done, we will go after the roots. We will be taking the territory back by clearing every root from the areas where we dig, so that we aren't just providing tilled soil in which it will regrow. That is slow going, but a war isn't won in a day, and as long as we keep it from going to seed we will win in the long run.

EVENT: I will be at Hill's Hill from 7-10am on Sunday, 8/8, to work on bagging plants. I have been reaching out to friends and local clubs, but you nature-lovers are my real hope for recruiting. I'm not asking you to be up by 6 on a Sunday if that's not your thing; join when you like, and make sure to bring your gloves and clippers (I have a few spares), and wear bug spray. You can park by the soccer field off Summer street (88 Summer St, Arlington -- take a left as you enter the parking lot) and head into the woods, keeping to the trails near Summer St (when in doubt, take the trail on your left). It is a small park, but the GPS coordinates from this observation on iNaturalist might help: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/87802201. You can see Summer St. in the background of the last picture.

To make this event more fun I am bringing a portable speaker (we can democratically pick the Spotify station), and we are going to brunch afterward. We will be stopping promptly at 10am, and heading to Thrive Juice Cafe at 10:30. I am a huge fan of their breakfast sandwich.

Solo efforts: Feel free to work on this on your own! Feel free to message me for details on how to get bags of weeds removed if you bag more than you can handle. If you do work on this patch, please post an observation with a before and after picture, because we would love to see your work.

For a detailed update on our latest projects, see the Hill's Hill newsletter.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Xjo-ziofJSfe3n2uv4i41Lu0AqnrJRZ7STZ6eQ4eiE/edit

To read more on combatting BSW and other 'dog-stragling vines' check out this pamphlet.
https://www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/OIPC_BMP_DogStranglingVine.pdf

Publicado el agosto 5, 2021 05:34 TARDE por efputzig