Group looks to remove invasive species

Hannah Ross
Fri, 05 Apr 2019 02:59:32 +0000
Campus, News, chadwick arboretum, honeysuckle, horticulturist, invasive species, ohio state, ohio state university, osu, species, the chadwick

The invasive removal will take place on the Arboretum’s north site from 9 a.m. to noon. Credit: Courtesy of Christina Voise

The Chadwick Arboretum is celebrating the start of Earth month with a service project to remove a group of dangerous plants on Saturday.

The Chadwick, a learning garden for students on campus, is hoping to remove invasive honeysuckle, which destroys and replaces native plants when spread by wildlife. The event will take place at the Chadwick Arboretum’s north site in the barn compound from 9 a.m. to noon.

“I think the most important thing is getting a chance to show people what we’re removing and being able to explain and educate people on why it’s important,” Sean Barnes, horticulturist at the Chadwick, said.

The goal for the event is to eliminate as much invasive species on the site as possible. According to Mary Maloney, director at the Chadwick, the event is part of an all-student volunteer day.

The Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalists, a research-based program at Ohio State that promotes awareness of Ohio’s natural resources, will team up with the Chadwick to remove the honeysuckle.

Barnes said the honeysuckle is a “tenacious invasive species” that needs to be constantly kept up with and watched over the coming months and years as it has grown over the native trees and shrubs that cover the Arboretum’s gardens.

In order to remove the invasive species, volunteers must first cut the shrubs down to about 6 inches above the ground. This adds shock to their system, making it easier to treat the stumps with herbicides when they start to emerge again, according to Barnes.

The Chadwick hopes to continue with more invasive removal events in the future in order to completely cut out the honeysuckle.

“We want to focus on cutting down what we can and treat it after when it’s starting to emerge,” Barnes said.

More information about the Chadwick and its invasive removal events can be found online at https://chadwickarboretum.osu.edu.