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Sixth Grade Community Service Elective Peter Anderson	Sixth grade students in Mr. Anderson’s community service elective have recently been working with Lindsay Putnam, LEEEP Coordinator, to help mitigate a persistent problem in the Nature Area - the spread of invasive buckthorn. Buckthorn is a forest and riparian weed tree that is a serious ecological threat to our local ecosystem. Over the past several years, many Marion Cross students, particularly sixth grade community service classes, have been pulling buckthorn in the Nature Area, essentially “weeding” the forest.
Buckthorn leaves, berries and roots
Before and after pulling the buckthorn
Students learn how to identify the trees, how to pull them and stack them so the roots don’t regenerate, and very importantly, how to tamp the soil back down and redistribute the leaf litter to discourage new plants from germinating.
By working together, students routinely pull out fifteen foot tall trees laden with berries. Sixth graders are making a positive impact on the health of our forest.
	Buckthorn was originally imported from Europe as an ornamental and hedge tree and has since become widespread throughout much of the northern deciduous forest areas of the country. Infestations in Norwich are particularly heavy along the Connecticut River valley “flyway”, as buckthorn seeds are primarily dispersed by birds. Birds eat the berries, which have a laxative effect, resulting in more seeds being planted in new areas. Once started in an area, buckthorn infestations typically become so heavy that they create an almost impenetrable forest understory layer, resulting in the serious decline of native herbaceous plants and trees, and the wildlife that depend on them.
	These links will take you to sites that have more information on buckthorn and other invasive plants. http://www.nps.gov/plants/ALIEN/fact/rhca1.htm http://www.ipaw.org/invaders/buckthorn/index.htm http://nbii-nin.ciesin.columbia.edu/ipane/

 

Updated 9/25/08