Our invasive plant removal program was very active and productive this fall, focusing primarily on glossy buckthorn patches around the Botume House and along Spot Pond as you head toward the Tudor Barn. Since October, seven volunteer groups of 165 total volunteers and the DCR team joined us to remove almost all the buckthorn in this area. Together, the groups donated 376.5 hours of work to this space. We look forward to seeing how the area responds in the coming growing season.
Check out some before and after photos below!
Buckthorn and Bittersweet Before and After
As fall drew to a close and most invasive plants went dormant in the colder months, we shifted our invasive plant removal efforts to focus on the aggressive Asiatic bittersweet in the Botume House area and around Greenwood Park. A high school group joined us in October to cut back the bittersweet around Greenwood and remove as many of the berries as possible.
Community members and scouts from the Medford Boy Scout Troop 416 joined us along Spot Pond to cut back bittersweet and remove a few piles. This summer we look forward to monitoring how the area responds to the vine removal and what new plants might be growing there.
Interested in assisting these efforts? Join us on Saturday, March 2nd!
With fresh snow cover, our trash removal efforts are paused until the spring. FOF staff and volunteers continue to collect trail and usage data using Earthwise Aware’s (EwA) Trail Reporting App. If you are interested in learning more about our Trail Adopter program, please join us for an orientation on Saturday, March 2nd.
Trails continue to suffer from erosion and flooding due to a warmer and wetter than average winter. Stay tuned for additional ways to help us manage trails through upcoming trail maintenance volunteer days and, once you are trained, use EwA’s app to report any trail issues you see.
Reach out to us at friends@fells.org if you’re interested in getting involved with our invasive plant removal or trail projects! And, as always, let us know if you have any questions.
Happy Trails!