You never know what you’ll find
Under clear blue skies, nine intrepid Granby volunteers bravely strode into the prickers and vines at Holcomb Farm on Saturday November 7. Armed with loppers, shovels, pruners, saws, and grim good humor, they hacked through multiple layers of robust invasives accustomed to frolicking freely and smothering native trees and shrubs.
What did we find? All kinds of buried treasure!
Farm implements embedded in tree trunks! A two-seater outhouse! A huge flat rock! An enormous, statuesque Shagbark Hickory tree! A row of Quaking Aspens connected below ground!
And many massive “mother of them all” Multiflora Roses, Oriental Bittersweets, Japanese Barberries, and “Trees of Heaven.”
Under clear blue skies, nine intrepid Granby volunteers bravely strode into the prickers and vines at Holcomb Farm on Saturday November 7. Armed with loppers, shovels, pruners, saws, and grim good humor, they hacked through multiple layers of robust invasives accustomed to frolicking freely and smothering native trees and shrubs.
What did we find? All kinds of buried treasure!
Farm implements embedded in tree trunks! A two-seater outhouse! A huge flat rock! An enormous, statuesque Shagbark Hickory tree! A row of Quaking Aspens connected below ground!
And many massive “mother of them all” Multiflora Roses, Oriental Bittersweets, Japanese Barberries, and “Trees of Heaven.”
Peggy Lareau demonstrated the “girdling” method on a grove of “Trees of Heaven” (Ailanthus altissima). This aggressive invasive tree, often confused with Sumac, responds to being cut down by sending out new trees through rhizomes underground. Girdling – cutting the outer layer around the trunk with a chisel or hatchet --prevents nutrients from traveling through the tree and kills it, without stimulating additional growth. Also pictured is the prizewinner for “biggest meanest root,” a Multiflora Rose, extracted by Lee Barba.
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To view the site of Granby’s Invasive Action Day and appreciate the progress as it continues in the coming months:
From the main Holcomb Farm building, head downhill in the direction of the fenced CSA field. Most of the recent work is on the right side heading downhill.
From the main Holcomb Farm building, head downhill in the direction of the fenced CSA field. Most of the recent work is on the right side heading downhill.
To learn about future events and keep up to date on invasive plants in Granby and beyond:
Sign up using the form at https://granbyinvasiveplants.weebly.com/
NOT WANTED: Granby's Conservation Commission's campaign to educate about and take action on invasive plants
Sign up using the form at https://granbyinvasiveplants.weebly.com/
NOT WANTED: Granby's Conservation Commission's campaign to educate about and take action on invasive plants