Blackberry Removal & Ecological Restoration
Â
An area below the Osprey nest at the Earth Sanctuary has a small spring-fed stream and was cleared of blackberries in Fall 2005 with the help of Jim Lux and his incredible Blackberry muncher, seen in action in this video. The restoration area was then left unmanaged to see what species of plants might grow from the existing seed bank in the soil. Only a few species sprouted from the clearing, Geum macrophyllum, Tellima grandiflora, Ribes lacustre, and a few small sedges and ferns. Fortunately, no invasive plants sprouted.Â
So in the winter of 2006, it was decided that we should help the clearing along. We divided several clumps of the sedge, and scattered them along the waterway. Other plants were transplanted from other areas including; Geum macrophyllum, Tellima grandiflora, Carex obnupta and Cornus stolonifera. These are being planted late in the planting season. However, they are very close to the wetland stream, so they wont need any supplemental water during the summer. We will then be adding more species further from the water, in the fall, so as to give them the winter to help establish their roots before the following summer.
July 11th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
I am working on invasive issues here in the Lower Mainland of BC. This looked like it did a much better job than other mechanical clearing methods. But I have to ask - what happened to the blackberry? Even removing it this way would still leave roots to regenerate and re-establish wouldn’t it? I was surprised when it didn’t show any and you didn’t mention any in subsequent years. How did you manage that!?
July 13th, 2007 at 12:33 am
The hard job is removing the blackberries. Once they are cut down, only litte shoots come up and they are easy to trim back as they are “tender.” Plus there really aren’t that many plants so it isn’t a big job. In other areas, we have put down mulch or paper and mulch and that retards new growth even more. Himalyan blackberries are much easier than other invasives like Reed Canary Grass, ivy and holly. The Osprey Nest glen is also somewhat different than some of other restoration sites since there are no other invasives nearby. -Chuck
December 23rd, 2007 at 2:27 pm
In my own space, I have successfully removed blackberry patches with a lawnmower and secateurs. It takes a bit of work ramming the mower into the patches, and a bit of snipping every now and then to disentangle the patch, but it works. If course these are the European kind, not the Himalayan, so they are only about 5 feet high.
I agree with Chuck that cleaning out the roots is the easy part; simply repeated mowing say 3 times during one year will do it, or if you want to do it quickly, a spade through the roots and a quick lever up will destroy the plants.
One thing I’m wondering though, is whether the blackberry might have helped the Ospreys by keeping predators away?
December 23rd, 2007 at 10:38 pm
Mike,
Thanks for your input on blackberry removal.
As far as I know, Osprey are the top of the food chain. Their main enemy is man. An osprey was found killed on a nearby beach last year. As we get the new area restored, it should fill in fairly quickly and provide a lot better habitat for lots of different animals and birds. -Chuck