While county and state workers have been busy fighting land based invasive species, the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest is also active in stopping the spread on its 1.5 million acres in Wisconsin.
Biologist Marjory Brzeskiewicz says they've had a plan in place for years to stop the common land invasives...
".....some of the big ones that affect the Northwoods are garlic mustard, buckthorn, honeysuckle. We don't have quite the problems as they do down south where there are more open, prairie-type species...."
Brzeskiewsicz says they work in collaboration with state and county agencies to find the invasives and get rid of them. She says they also work together on the plants that are both land and water invasives like Purple Loosestrife and phragmites.
Brzeskiewsicz says they have an integrated program, using a variety of methods to keep the invasive in check. That includes mowing, fire, or digging and cutting at the right time. She says the also use insects on Purple Loosestrife.
She says the public plays a big role in preventing the spread of an invasive. She says if someone sees a non-native plant they should contact either the National Forest offices, or local agencies.
The national forest has a website about invasives at the Forest’s Non-Native Invasive Species website.
