Invasives Removal Plan
April 7, 2011
Lincoln Fish
Bay State Forestry Service
115 Nash Hill Road
Haydenville, MA 01039
413.268.3288
MA Pesticide Applicator License #16251
Proposal for Control of Exotic-Invasive Plant Species
Submitted to:
Sarah I. LaValley
Conservation, Preservation and Land Use Planner
City of Northampton
10 Main Street, Rm 11
Northampton, MA 01060
Target Area:
The proposed work will be accomplished on a portion of the Mineral Hills Conservation
Area off Turkey Hill Road in Northampton. The target area of approximately 20.7 acres
is drawn on the attached locus map and air photo. (Note: The target area is entirely on the
north side of Turkey Hill Road, despite indication to the contrary on the topo locus map.
The location of Turkey Hill Road on the USGS topo map is apparently 100 feet to the
north of its actual location.) The strategy of targeting this particular area is to eliminate
invasive exotic plants in areas that are both heavily infested and also receive intensive
recreational use. The rationale is that eliminating invasive-exotic seeds from this area will
reduce the spread of invasives by human and animal traffic along trails through the rest of
the property. While this area contains the old quarry in which invasive-exotic infestation
is fairly light, it also contains the hedgerow between the quarry and the field to the east,
which contains the heaviest bittersweet infestation observed on the property. The area
contains Turkey Hill Road, a road around the perimeter of the quarry and a road/trail
through the field to the east of the quarry. The intent is to eliminate bittersweet and other
invasives from an area stretching 200 feet out from the road around the perimeter of the
quarry. Most ATV use on the property, which is likely responsible for distribution of
invasive-exotic seeds, seems to use this area. Hopefully, there will be more invasive-
exotic plant control here in the future. If so, this 20 acre block of invasive-free land can
be used as a base from which to eliminate the more sparse invasive infestations to the
north and east.
Proposed work:
Cut all large (greater than 8’ in height) invasive-exotic plants with a chainsaw and apply
herbicide solution to cut surface to prevent resprouting. (Cut-surface treatment solution
25% Garlon 4 Ultra dissolved in horticultural oil). Most of the chainsaw work will be on
bittersweet vines, as there are innumerable bittersweet vines climbing into trees in this
area. In addition to large individuals greater than 8’ tall, vines will be cut and stump-
treated where they are climbing into native vegetation that must not be sprayed. For
instance, just past the pavement end where one parks on Turkey Hill Road, there is a field
off the north side of the road with a thicket of native round-leaved dogwood containing
several bittersweet vines climbing on it at a height of approx 5’. These vines will be cut
and stump treated, as it would be impossible to eliminate them by spraying without also
killing the dogwood.
Cutting will be followed by a foliar spray to control smaller invasive-exotics. (Foliar
spray solution 3% Garlon 4 Ultra, an herbicide that is effective against bittersweet.) Other
invasive-exotics found in the area that would be targeted by both spraying and cutting
include multiflora rose, bush honeysuckle, Amur corktree and Japanese knotweed. It is
especially important to eliminate corktree, as this is an aggressively invasive exotic tree.
Only a few individuals were observed, all in close proximity to the quarry perimeter, so
the infestation is in a very early stage.
Integrated Vegetation Management
The work of Bay State Forestry Service in controlling invasive-exotic plants is guided
by the principles of Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM). Our goal is to eliminate
invasives with minimal damage to the native plant community we want to save and to do
our work with the miminum herbicide necessary. The reason to cut large individuals with
a chainsaw and stump-treat them is so that these large invasives can be removed from the
landscape without impact to the adjacent native plants. After cutting, the remaining
invasives are small and can be sprayed precisely without damage to the native plants we
want to save. We use small, backpack sprayers in order to surgically target the invasives.
Our methods contrast sharply with broadcast herbicide spraying, which often does more
harm than good by killing an unnecessary number of native plants. Once the seed source
for the invasive-exotic plants has been eliminated, native plants can begin to re-establish.
Remnant populations of dogwood, viburnum, blueberry, alder, witch hazel, choke cherry
and hazelnut, along with native tree saplings were observed here. The robust community
of native plants that will re-emerge here will provide a barrier to re-infestation by
invasives. It is the third leg of our IVM control, the NATURAL barrier provided by the
shade, leaf litter and root systems of native plants. A two-legged stool is not able to stand
up. For effective long-term control of invasive-exotics, we need all three legs: the
NATURAL barrier of a native plant community, along with judiciously applied
MECHANICAL and CHEMICAL treatments.
Performance Standards:
An acceptable job is considered to be elimination of 80-90% of the existing invasive-
exotic plants on the site. In order to achieve effective long-term control of invasive-
exotics, re-treatment for at least two additional years is highly recommended. Costs for
retreatment of invasives on the same area during the following year will normally be half
or less than half of the previous year’s cost. Each year, the goal will be to reduce the
invasive-exotic infestation an additional 80-90%. By the end of the third application,
nearly all established invasive-exotic root systems would be eliminated and the seedlings
that would germinate after that could be controlled by volunteer hand-pulling.
Timing:
All work, cutting and spraying, will be accomplished before June 30, 2011.
Payment:
Lincoln Fish, Bay State Forestry Service, agrees to provide the above-described services
before the June 30, 2011deadline in return for a fee of $4750, to be paid by the City of
Northampton to Bay State Forestry Service within 60 days of successful completion of
work and invoice submission.
Wetland Areas:
This proposal is contingent upon approval by the Northampton Conservation
Commission of herbicide application in wetland areas, if any, within the target project
area. If additional work by Bay State Forestry Service is necessary in order to obtain
conservation commission approval, said work will be invoiced at $80 per hour.
Proposal submitted by:
Lincoln C. Fish, Bay State Forestry Service DATE
Proposal accepted by:
Legal representative of City of Northampton DATE