Tackling Invasives

 Over the weekend there was a Native Plants Seminar at George Mason University in Manassas. I've attended the seminar in years past and used what I learned to inspire me to make improvements in my own yard. I attended this year via zoom to get ideas for my woodland restoration and garden re-plantings. I was indeed inspired. 

The two pictures below are of the same section of my yard taken a year apart. For years this first picture was the view of the side yard, but quite frankly, I just did not really know how to begin to make improvements. Finally with encouragement from an Urban Forester a plan was made. The simple truth is that you begin with heavy duty cloths, boots, gloves, a hedge clipper and chain saw. 

Last winter Wetland Studies and Solutions began tackling the invasive grape, autumn olive, Japanese Honeysuckle and goodness knows what else was in there (we found a tire and plastic containers). They made great progress last year, but this winter's work has totally transformed the area. Totally worth the money I spent on young and strong foresters to do what I simply can not do. I am really good at collecting trash and litter.

The the picture was taken by Wetland Studies and Solutions before they started on the removal of the invasive plants in this section last winter. Two people worked for a couple of days last February cutting away invasive species and building habitat piles before the money I had allocated in my not to exceed contract ran out. Then they returned this February to finish up this section after I had saved up more money and opened another contract. What a difference. 

I will not lie, this is expensive work, so we do a little each year. The same view a year apart (though, two seasons of spending) makes me feel like it is worth it. Now to "beautify" the side yard a bit I plan to introduce the beginnings of a shrub layer and make a second attempt at wildflowers. I tried sowing a wildflower mix last year, but did not have much success. 

A healthy forest has five layers: an overstory, and understory, a scrub layer, an herbaceous layer, and leaf litter. As best as I can tell in February, many of the cedars in the wood, seem to be a dead, but the other trees are not. There does not seem to be much of a scrub layer, the invasive autumn olive seems to have out competed them. I have had some great success on the other side with planting ninebark after clearing out Japanese honeysuckle, so I may give them a try here. They seem particularly hardy and the birds love them for nests.