There’s nothing scarier than Buckthorn

Recently, something terrified my older brother, Craig, at the Colby School Forest. If you were going to guess that it was something on The Haunted Trail that we held recently, you would be wrong. Instead, it was something already in the woods, waiting for us: Buckthorn. Hard to imagine that a simple plant would scare my 6’3” older brother, but once you see Buckthorn, and what it can do to a Wisconsin woods, you would be shaking in your flannel too.

Buckthorn is an invasive shrub (or a small tree). When it is small, it is very similar to the same look as baby popple trees; sweet and innocent looking. At that point, much like your youngster toddler turn-to teenager, it becomes a completely different animal. As it establishes a base, it begins to shoot several stems out, spreading a large, vegetative canopy, and does it with amazing speed. Buckthorn also develops leaves very early, and keeps them on deep into the year, past rifle deer hunting season in fact. This rapid development of sustained canopy effectively chokes out sunlight to other plants underneath it, killing off tree seedlings and native flowers. But it does not end there: they are able to produce chemical compounds from its roots that are released into the soil, which further prevent seedlings from growing past Buckthorn. Think of it as a plant that is a poison factory, pumping plant toxin into the ground. This ability is called being “allelopathic.” Lastly, it has spikes on, and at the end, of its branches. Which, take it from me, can be a nasty thing to stumble into while trying to get to your deer stand.

So why not just cut these things down? I mean, if memory serves right, axes/chainsaws tend to kill anything that is a tree or shrub, right? Wrong. With a robust root network, it can use a process called “sprouting” that will push up more top growth/new, young Buckthorn. It doesn’t like to create new sprouts because it stresses the root reserves, so it acts quickly to create tall plants with lots of canopy to make sure it gets lots of sun, and reestablish lots of roots. Cutting it makes it angry, and makes you pay. What about isolating it, keeping it contained? It creates dark, purple fruit that are a laxative for birds. Yes: the birds eat it, get an upset tummy, and fires out, or “spreads” the seeds in a hurry. It has also been cited that the fruit can get stuck to the bottom of your shoe/boot, and will spread the seed as well. Buckthorn isn’t just a harbinger of death for native plants, but also a safe house for aphids, which harm farmer’s soybeans and alfalfa. With all this being said, it is surprising this thing isn’t called the “Devil’s Shrubbery.”

There is hope, however. Proper identification will lead to early control. And the best control is through a herbicide application. The easiest way to find Buckthorn is to grab a roll of trail tape, your boots, and hit the woods. Wait for late fall when majority of the leaves have fallen off the tree. Buckthorn will be the only herbaceous plant (small tree) in the woods that will have its leaves, most times being the only green leaves in the woods. It’s bark is dark grey and smooth, with the male plants having spikes on it, and female plants with dark purple berries. The size can be anywhere from 4 ft tall to 25 ft tall. Once you find Buckthorn, mark with blaze orange trail tape, so you can find it later when it is time to spray it. Late fall, winter is the best time for spray. Triclopyr sprayed on the base trunk of the Buckthorn plant will get absorbed and kill it. To find out more, there is an awesome how-to video on youtube at this link: https://youtu.be/wtttGDMLYvg or search “Buckthorn: How to I.D. and How to Control-2019.”

So, hunters: as you head to your deer stands and you gaze out on the wide-open expanse of wilderness before you, take a look for a little leafed tree with spikes and berries in case you need to bag-it and tag-it. You don’t need to be a hunter to spend time in the woods though; while getting some firewood cut, or enjoying a hike, take a look around for the menace!

The Soil

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