An Assessment Walk with Ecologist & Ecological Restoration Expert
Several members of the Garden Club, Master Gardeners, a member of the CMA board, and Susan and John Landau of Foote’s Pond Wood joined an assessment walk of the Mt. Tabor pond and trail area led by an ecologist from the Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Jean Epiphan.
We identified several important areas for management and within those areas we identified problematic elements such as invasive species, as well as many native plants to protect and restore. We also developed timelines for engagement based on the lifecycle of the plants under consideration and the optimal seasons for both removing invasives as well as new plantings.
We targeted two main areas to begin our work: the edge of the pond and the large sloping bank next to the pond. In these areas, as well as the rest of the wood and areas adjacent to the parking lot, the general strategy includes the use of herbicides to kill the invasives including: Japanese stiltgrass, Barberry, multiflora rose, porcelain berry, wisteria, Japanese knotweed, among many others.
Next steps include researching companies qualified and licensed to apply herbicide to sensitive areas such as our wetlands and also adept at plant identification with an eye towards ecological sustainability. This specialization includes the ability to preserve the native plants while targeting the problem species. However, this also requires work from our community. We must prepare the ground for herbicide application by taking steps to protect native plants through various mechanical means like pruning, marking, and even wrapping certain species in plastic to protect them from damage during application.
Once these areas have been treated, they require successive applications of herbicide over a course of a growing season and then for a couple of years, depending on the invasive species needed to control. They also require the replanting of native species to repopulate these areas and create a more balanced and resilient system. The timeline for seeing results in an area under remediation is two to three years.
We are very encouraged by the identification of so many native species in our community, but also by the network of resources we are developing to help guide us on what is a long and committed journey.
In her role as county agent, Jean Epiphan is available to continue to guide our process, offering help and direction as we move forward.
Please stay tuned because we will have many work days ahead clearing invasives, identifying and marking native species to save, and replanting. We will also offer more educational opportunities as we move forward so that we can ensure best practices going forward.
