Brainerd Area Buckthorn Control

Poor Farm and Ray Cook Wildlife Management Areas are managed to provide quality habitat for game species such as ruffed grouse, turkey, and deer. The invasion of common and glossy buckthorn has diminished the quality of this habitat. By treating these sites we can stop or at least slow the spread of this invasive species. As we have seen further south in Minnesota, left unchecked, buckthorn can inhibit the regeneration of the forest following a timber sale and leaves the site with little wildlife habitat value. Buckthorn has an allelopathic chemical in its roots that suppresses the growth of surrounding plants in addition to shading out native vegetation when found in thick dense stands. Buckthorn is also a starvation food for birds. Buckthorn berries cause diarrhea and weakens birds.