INVASIVES MANAGEMENT:

OUR PROPERTIES AND

THE BIG PICTURE
Jane Maloney
Land Steward
Sudbury Valley Trustees
Native vs Invasive vs Non-native
Native
Evolved in this region and currently
still in its natural range
Examples: creeping dewberry,
marsh marigold, blue wood aster,
poison ivy
It’s all relative!
Non-Native
From a different area but does not
spread freely and not negatively
impact wildlife habitat
Examples: English ivy, northern
catalpa
Note: some non-native species are
still fast spreading, but that alone
does not make them invasive
Invasive
From a different area and able to
spread freely and negatively impact
wildlife habitat
Examples: glossy buckthorn, winged
euonymus, multiflora rose
Who decides what plants are invasive?
• Massachusetts Invasive Plant Advisory Group (MIPAG) reviews potential
species and recommends to the Commonwealth to prohibit
• Categorized as Invasive, Likely Invasive, or Potentially Invasive

• Can you answer YES to these questions?

• Non-native to Massachusetts area?

• Potential to disperse and establish in high numbers?
• Potential to disperse far away from introduction site?
• Can it replace natives?
• Is it already here or in states nearby or those with similar climate?

If YES to all—it’s probably invasive!

Why do invasive plants do so well?
• Predator release—no native predators
• Filling a gap niche
• Creates ideal habitat for itself but not natives through soil chemistry changes
and shade/light changes
• Growing season starts earlier and ends later
• Dispersal methods- rhizomes, wind dispersal, seed number/viability
• Typically tolerant of a variety of conditions
Invasives and climate change
CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS
• Longer growing seasons

• More intense/longer periods of

drought
• Range expansion due to increased

temperatures
• More frequent intense storm events

All of these things benefit

invasives and may hinder
natives!
https://www.invasivespeciescentre.ca/invasive-species/what-is-at-risk/climate-change/
Ecological Impacts
• Replace native plants with monocultures

• Loss of preferred or ideal food source (birds, pollinators)

• Changes in plant structure and height (perching, nesting, foraging)

• Light, water, or space availability changes

• Some alter soil chemistry & inhibit growth of natives & mycorrhizal networks

(allelopathic)

• Alters natural species succession

• Overall loss in species diversity

https://www.invasivespeciescentre.ca
Invasive species cause $423 billion in damages and
management globally each year and this number is
only increasing
 We need your help!

The best place to start fighting

invasives is in your backyard!
The first step is…

IDENTIFICATION!
Asiatic Bittersweet
Celastrus orbiculatus
Vine (+60 ft tall), round leaves
with pointed tip, vines curl at
end and wrap around everything!
Introduction- Ornamental

Habitat- Forest edge, open

woodlands, disturbed areas, Plant these instead!
fields. Shade tolerant!
American bittersweet
Virginia rose
Spreads- Seeds and root
suckering

Ecological Threat- Killing

vegetation through smothering
or girdling

Ideal treatment- Cut and paint,

root excavation
Japanese Knotweed
Fallopia japonica
Herbaceous perennial (+10ft tall),
heart shaped leaves, spotted
stems that are hollow. Small white
flowers.
Introduction- Ornamental,
erosion control, hedge

Habitat- Typically wet soils. Plant these instead!

Shade, drought, salt, and heat
tolerant.
Joe-pye-weed
Blue false indigo
Spreads- Seeds and rhizomes (can New England aster
travel down stream)

Ecological Threat- dense thicket

shades out natives and clog
waterways/culverts

Ideal treatment- foliar spray or

injection, hand pulling if small,
three cut per season method.
Multiflora Rose
Rosa multiflora
Shrub (+ 15 ft tall). Green stems that
turn reddish brown in fall/winter, small
white flowers, hairs near base of leaf
stalk, downward pointing thorns
Introduction- Ornamental and
livestock fencing

Plant these instead!

Habitat- Wide tolerance for soil, Virginia rose
moisture, and light conditions
Swamp rose
New England rose
Spreads- Seed and cane tips rooting

Ecological Threat- Dense thicket

shades out natives and impact bird
nesting

Ideal treatment- Combo

manual/mechanical removal and
Burning Bush
Euonymus alatus
Shrub (up to 20 ft tall), opposite,
dark green leaves, corky ridges
along green or brown stems.
Leaves turn bright red in fall.
Introduction- Ornamental

Habitat- Forests, coastal Plant these instead!

scrublands, prairies Arrow wood viburnum
Oak-leaf hydrangea
Spreads- Seeds and vegetative
reproduction Witch-alder

Ecological Threat- Dense

thickets replace natives

Ideal treatment- Hand pull

smaller plants. Repeated cuts or
cut and paint
Garlic Mustard
Alliaria petiolata
Herbaceous Biennial (1-4 ft tall),
round/heart shaped leaves with
deep veining, purplish hairy stems
near the root in rosette plant

Introduction- Food/medicinal

Plant these instead!

Habitat- Moist to dry forests,
roadsides, disturbed areas White baneberry
Columbine
Spreads- Seeds carried by wind,
water, people and wildlife

Ecological Threat- Changes soil

chemistry preventing native
wildflowers and tree seedling
growth. Toxic to butterfly larvae.

Ideal treatment- Hand pull or cut

back before it sets seed
Glossy Buckthorn
Frangula alnus
Subshrub/Tree (20-25 ft tall),
ovate leaves with prominent
veining on underside. Gray-
brown bark with white lenticels,
red roots, dark berries in summer
Introduction- Ornamental,
Hedge
Plant these instead!
Habitat- Typically in wet soils,
Common witch hazel
sun or full shade. Can establish in Black chokecherry
dry soils
Arrow wood viburnum
Spreads- Seed

Ecological Threat- Dense thicket

displaces natives

Ideal treatment- Pull smaller

individual. Cut and paint larger
ones. Buckthorn bags 50%
Japanese Barberry
Berberis thunbergii
Shrub (3-6 ft tall), small, ovate
leaves that are green and turn red
in the fall. Brown stems with a
shard thorn at each leaf node. Red
dangling berries.

Introduction- Ornamental
Plant these instead!
Habitat- Sun to deep shade, Winterberry
forest, wetlands, fields etc.
Maple leaf viburnum
Spreads- Seeds, root creepers and
tip rooting branches

Ecological Threat- Displaces

natives, can raise soil pH,
promotes Lyme disease

Ideal treatment- Hand pulling,

repeated mowing/cutting, cut
Tree of heaven
Ailanthus altissima
Tree (up to 80 ft tall), compound,
smooth leaves, with glandular
nodes. Brown/gray bark with
slight texture.

Introduction- Ornamental/shade

Plant these instead!

Habitat- Disturbed
environments, edge habitats Staghorn sumac
Pignut hickory
Spreads- Seeds, root suckers White ash

Ecological Threat- Displaces

natives, host tree for spotted
lantern fly, allelopathic chemicals
released

Ideal treatment- Hand pulling,

repeated cutting, cut stem
Amur corktree
Phellodendron amurense

Tree (35-50ft), ridged bark that is

soft and corky, compound leaves
that turn yellow in fall,
Introduction- Ornamental/street
tree

Habitat- Moist woodlands, shady

habitats, river floodplains Plant these instead!
White ash
Spreads- Seeds (produces lots of Red oak
them)

Ecological Threat- Displaces

natives

Ideal treatment- Hand pulling,

repeated cutting, cut stem
herbicide treatment
So you have invasives, now what?
Manual /Mechanical Removal
Herbicide Treatment
Other Types of Treatments
Disposal
The land manager’s approach
• Identify species present
• Determine end goal- eradiation or maintain edge?
• Removal and disposal based on the plants and goal
• Choose natives to plant
• Develop a long term plan
HOW TO CHOOSE
YOUR NATIVES
For a no fuss, low maintenance, high impact garden
Determine your habitat conditions
• What is your soil like without your • How much direct sunlight do you
assistance? have?
• Dry • Full sun- direct light for 6+ hrs/day
• Wet (all the time or seasonally) • Partial sun/shade- direct light for 3-6
• Clay hrs/day
• Sand • Full shade- direct light for less than 3
hrs/day
What species are present now?
• Are you keeping all the plants in this area?

• Native or non-native (ornamental)

• Tree, shrub, perennial?
• Are there flowers? If so what is the color, bloom time, and structure?
What is your goal?
• Bird habitat (nesting and/or food
source)
• Rain garden to capture excess water
• Pollinator garden
• Hummingbirds
• Native Bees
• Butterflies
• Beneficial insects (ladybugs, green
lacewings etc.)
• Reduce lawn coverage
• Do you want this garden to serve this
function for several seasons?
Rules to the no fuss native garden
• Be lazy!

• Once established you should not need to water

• Plant close so there are no gaps aka space for weeds or need to mow

• No (or minimal) mulch

• Use native mints and common milkweed wisely (quick spreaders)

• No pesticides or fertilizers- native plants = native insects = native birds

• Cut plants back in spring after temps consistently over 50

• Rake leaves (leaf mulch) onto flower beds in fall

Where to find native plants?
• Plant list to support our pollinators
• https://www.svtweb.org/mca-pollinator-preservation-garden-toolkit

• Native Plant Trust

• Garden Plant Finder tool: https://plantfinder.nativeplanttrust.org/Plant-Search

• Russells Garden Center

• New England Wetland Plants
• Vermont Wildflower Farm
• Grow Native
• Bigelows
• Local Conservation District annual plant sales

To learn more about invasives go to www.cisma-suasco.org

Go Botany, Seek, Google Lens, iNaturalist—all good tools for plant ID

INVASIVE INSECTS
(and a couple non-insects)
Another threat to biodiversity…
Invasive insects/bugs/invertebrates
• Threaten native species, as well as agricultural
crops
• Are increasing in population and expanding
their ranges with climate change
• Can be much more mobile than some of our
invasive plants
Spotted Lantern Fly (Lycorma delicatula)
• Sap feeding insect, originally from Asia
• First found in US in 2014, in Boston in 2018. No active infestations!
• Attacks a variety of trees, main host tree is tree of heaven
• Heavily impacts grape production and potentially apple orchards
• Report to MDAR/MNRC if seen, treatment methods include traps,
tree removal, and chemical treatment

REPORT IT!
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges tsugae)
• Very small aphid-like insect
• Attacks eastern hemlocks (which make up a lot of our forests!)
• Feed on stored starches & cause tree death
• White woolly egg masses on underside of needles
• Treatment can include chemical injection ($$$) or biocontrol (also $$$)
Asian Long Horned Beetle
(Anoplophora glabripennis)
• 0.75”-1.5” long with very long antennae (up to 2x its body length)
• First found in MA in 2008—several active quarantines (110 sq miles)
• Larvae damage tree by eating sapwood
• Exit holes 3/8” or larger in diameter
• Host trees include maple, horse chestnut, birch, poplar, willow, elm
• Can be confused with whitespotted pine sawyer (native!)
Jumping Worms (Amynthas spp.)
• Dark gray/brown, 4-5 inches long
• Band is white-gray and wraps entirely around the body
• Thrash wildly when disturbed—usually at shallow depth
• Consume upper level of soil, depleting nutrients for native species
• Can be confused with nightcrawlers—band is usually a different
color and does not go all the way around
• Report to MDAR if seen in MA!
Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis)
• Small, metallic green beetle—usually ½” long
• Adults present from mid-May to late June
• Distinct S-shaped tunnels beneath tree bark
• D-shaped exit holes that are 3-4mm in diameter
• Upper part of tree dies off, and lots of shoots come from affected
trunk
Beech Leaf Disease
• Relatively new disease affecting beech trees
• Symptoms: dark banding between veins of leaves, premature leaf
drop, thinning canopy, deformed or shriveled leaves
• Associated with presence of non-native nematode
• We still don’t know a lot about this one!
Resources for invasive pests…
• Reporting & fact sheets: Massachusetts Department of Agricultural
Resources
• https://massnrc.org/pests/pestreports.htm
• jennifer.forman-orth@state.ma.us –very responsive!

• Treatment and identification: UMass Landscape Extension

• https://ag.umass.edu/landscape/fact-sheets
• US Department of Agriculture
• https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/us/massachusetts
QUESTIONS?