"Minimizing Your Footprint, Enhancing Your Performance"
The presence of invasive, non-native species can be detrimental to healthy native tree communities in several ways. Invasive insects and pests can infect trees with harmful diseases, but there are also invasive plants and tree species that take away habitat and resources from other native trees. Non-native plant species often have no natural consumers or diseases to limit their growth and therefore spread aggressively. When left uncontrolled, invasive plants can overtake and replace indigenous plants, disturbing biodiversity and taking away habitat and food from wildlife that rely on them.
Tree communities containing diverse populations of native species are crucial for ecosystem balance. Invasive plants that are left uncontrolled can have devastating effects on the species diversity of natural flora and fauna. Vines climbing trees, exotic shrubs taking over fields, and aggressive tree species that outcompete others for light, water, nutrients and other resources have the ability to displace native vegetation and reduce habitat value.
Preventing or reducing undesirable impacts of non-native invasive plants is a difficult challenge facing all land managers. At EC Consulting we can help property owners and municipalities manage invasive plant species to thwart their spread. We can effectively control invasive plants through the use of systemic herbicide treatments applied to foliage or stems during the proper times of year such as late summer and early fall. This allows the undesirable plants to be removed in winter and be replaced by planting native species in spring to provide a naturally diverse and balanced ecosystem. We also offer manual control techniques such as hand-pulling, digging, flooding, mulching, removal of alternate hosts and manual destruction or removal of nests, egg masses or other life stages. These techniques work best on small populations or in areas where chemicals or motorized equipment cannot be used. Mechanical control techniques including hoeing, cutting, girdling, tilling, mowing, and constructing barriers using tools or machines can also be useful in areas with large infestations where terrain does not create safety or equipment issues. Contact us for a consultation and we will work with you to assess your needs and provide a proper management plan and control techniques.
