Ward Property Invasive Species Management and Stewardship

When a private landowner decided to prioritize stewardship for her wooded 6.9-acre parcel, WSSI worked with her to tailor a plan for practicable long-term management and invasive species removal.

The Challenge

A private homeowner had noticed that something had gone seriously wrong with her forest. Emerald ash borers (invasive beetles) had killed ash trees, and invasive vines, invasive autumn olive shrubs, and Japanese honeysuckle were choking out the natural renewal process. At the same time, numerous grazing deer decimated the native understory and beneficial native plants. The homeowner contacted local agencies for additional information and guidance on woodland restoration, and then contracted WSSI to provide invasive species management while working within her annual budget.

Our Solution

We dug in on the site with the homeowner’s priorities first and foremost. We focused our efforts on removing invasive plants and dead or dying trees and tree limbs from the property, and we treated the vines that were strangling the native vegetation and causing the most damage.

The vegetation removal work provided a unique opportunity for native animal habitat creation; WSSI created strategic brush piles, as we have done successfully on larger ecosystem restoration projects. Activities in the site are limited by Prince William County’s Chesapeake Bay Ordinance, and the entire project area is categorized as Resource Protection Area (RPA); WSSI ensured that all work was conducted in compliance with regulations.

A path from the homeowner’s yard into the RPA was overgrown by invasive species and vines, so WSSI’s ecosystems team used a foliar herbicide to reestablish the trail and clear out the non-native species. Asiatic bittersweet, autumn olive, and multiflora rose stumps all were spot-treated with an herbicide to ensure they would not resprout. WSSI staff completed the removal activities during the fall and winter months, then when the growing season started we applied herbicides and started site monitoring. WSSI staff meet with the landowner regularly to review goals and progress to ensure a successful restoration.

Landowner’s blog: https://greenrisks.blogspot.com/