Photo caption: Buckthorn removal on southeast corridor trail
Article by: Hans Hilbert, Co-President, Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy
Continuing Conservation
The Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy have a long history with invasive species. Over a quarter century ago, volunteers began efforts to restore and manage the Pheasant Branch Conservancy, focusing then on the hillsides and top of Pheasant Branch Hill. Today, our work continues as we tackle invasive species along the southeast corridor trail.
Battling Buckthorn and Other Invaders
Invasive species such as buckthorn pose a significant threat to the health and biodiversity of our natural areas. Buckthorn forms dense thickets that crowd out native plants, reducing beneficial habitat for wildlife. The dense canopy shades the forest floor, preventing regeneration of the oaks, hickories, cherries, and other native trees. Combating this problem requires diligent removal.
In the early days of restoration atop Pheasant Branch Hill (Frederick’s Hill during the Frederick Farm era), volunteers battled endless understories of honeysuckle mixed in with the occasional buckthorn. There were workdays where so much woody vegetation was being removed that we may have had six separate piles burning at one time, yet only a small area would be cleared. We would return to push further only to find that the stumps of previous cuts had already resprouted. No matter how much we cut, it was growing back at a rate that we could not compete with. The cost-benefit analysis was clear, and the lesson learned; we needed the help of herbicides if we were going to make any progress. With the help of herbicides, we could hold back the invasive regrowth long enough for the native seed bank to have a chance, and once it was established, it could provide some needed competition to keep out the undesirable species.
Crossing Municipal Boundaries
Our early work took place within the Dane County portion of the Conservancy, outside of the city limits. Now, along the southeast corridor trail we are within the city boundary and therefore must operate under a new set of rules. Our relationship with the City of Middleton has seen its share of city leaders and leadership styles. Starting with Penni Klein’s stronghold, and now more recently Kiley Scherer (Director of Parks and Recreation), there has been a learning curve needed to overcome familiar challenges that present themselves as we continue our work.
Our first obstacle within the city has been the use of herbicides. Obviously, it is a controversial issue, but without responsible use we are fighting an endless battle. Unfortunately, we are in unprecedented territory within the city, as there currently is not a policy on allowing volunteers to apply pesticides on city property.
The second obstacle has been the physical removal of biomass created from cutting so much buckthorn. After our first few workdays along the southeast corridor trail, the city would hire prison labor to operate the chipper for piles along the trail. As we worked deeper toward the marsh, the trail became farther away and hauling the branches out became impractical. As a result, we started creating smaller piles intending to burn during the winter. On February 1, 2024, conditions were perfect for a winter burn. As we had discussed with previous Public Lands leadership, we notified city staff of our intent to burn the brush piles on February 3. After a day, we received a response from Kiley Scherer letting us know that the city was not ready to give the green light for burning. We quickly shifted gears and, instead of burning the piles, created more—as these piles continue to grow in size and number they are creating an additional challenge of our restoration efforts toward regeneration.
We continue to work with the city to find solutions to these obstacles. In the last few years there has been a significant turnover in city staff, and we have needed to allow time as fresh staff get up to speed and we form new relationships with our partners. On our end, we have suggested the need for the city to adopt a volunteer handbook like that used by Dane County Parks to establish a clearinghouse for policies that apply to groups and individuals interested in helping the city protect and restore our public lands. We feel we have made progress on this front but given the workload and annual work cycles of the Parks and Recreation Department, these approvals take time.
Without the use of herbicide as part of our current efforts, our work is still beneficial as we focus our efforts on reducing the seed source of buckthorn. Each mature female buckthorn tree can produce thousands of berries every season. Though low in nutrients, these seeds are eaten by birds. Since the berries contain a natural laxative, the birds do not get far before depositing the seed. We are hopeful that our work in reducing the seed source will help slow the buckthorn regeneration enough to allow our relationship working within the city to progress.
Join the Effort
If you are interested in getting involved in the Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy’s efforts to restore and manage the Conservancy, please check out all the volunteer opportunities posted on our website, pheasantbranch.org/events. Your help is greatly appreciated!