Clearing Invasive Bush Honeysuckle for Future Generations could be a story about passion, mother nature, maintaining our nature preserves, and even the health benefits of being outdoors. In my short exposure to this much-needed removal, I can tell you that this invasive plant is stifling the work of mother nature making it hard for natural habitats to occur. Trust me; once you start working at removing bush honeysuckle, you will experience passion, the benefits of being outdoors and I promise, you’ll get a glimpse of mother nature smiling at you.
Bush Honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii)
Bush honeysuckle, also known as Amur honeysuckle is native to far eastern Asia, mostly China, Russia, Mongolia and North Korea. It didn’t make it’s way into North America until the late 19th century when it was introduced to botanical gardens through a seed exchange with European Countries. From 1960-1984 the US Department of Agriculture promoted bush honeysuckle and had cultivars developed that produced more fruit which in the long run contributed to its invasive nature. Initially, it was thought that bush honeysuckle was good for wildlife habitat and controlling erosion but both of these ideas were proven wrong. Using bush honeysuckle as an ornamental plant was the main reason for its proliferation.
My First Introduction To Bush Honeysuckle
My brother Paul (#6) introduced me to bush honeysuckle and its invasive capabilities. He kept asking if I wanted to help out at Knobeloch Woods State Nature Preserve which is just six miles from my home. In fact, this nature preserve was a regular field trip destination years ago when my kids were in first and second grade. Julius J. Knobeloch Woods is 35 acres of land dedicated as a sanctuary for native plants and animals. It’s located in St. Clair County in Illinois and to get a better idea of the location click on the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ page here.
It wasn’t until the Saturday after Thanksgiving that I felt like I had a minute to join the group of volunteers. I decided I needed to get out of the kitchen and out of the house to enjoy the outdoors. The weather was warm, and it turned out to be the perfect day to spend with passionate people and mother nature. There was a handful of us walking single file through the almost hidden entrance to this beautiful piece of land. You could feel the trees welcoming us as we followed the leaf covered paths. The group started clearing in October and they seemed experienced and settled in their jobs, so I stuck with my brother who had his wheel barrel in tow and took directions from him. It was fun!
Why Remove Invasive Bush Honeysuckle
A proud moment clearing honeysuckle is when the base of a beautiful tree is opened. The bush honeysuckle chokes the trees, and whenever we would open up the base of a tree, it was hard not to offer a greeting like Merry Christmas. I felt like I was doing them a favor. Next time I go out, I’ll have to change my greeting. You could tell the trees were enjoying the extra air and light. Here is a list of why it’s important to remove bush honeysuckle.
- It was once thought that bush honeysuckle was good for wildlife, especially deer, but it provides no nutritional value for whitetail deer.
- It outcompetes all other tree species not allowing regeneration of trees and chokes out native plants forming a monoculture. This threatens the future of our forests and nature preserves.
- Bush honeysuckle does not allow the understory (layer of growth below the canopy formed by trees) to produce native plants important for deer and other animals.
- It produces a chemical that prevents other species from growing.
- Bush honeysuckle does not provide cover for quail, rabbits and a variety of other species.
- Honeysuckle leafs out early in the spring stealing light from the native plants that need a sunny forest floor and can deplete the moisture in the soil.
- Even though deer do not like to eat honeysuckle, they do like to hide in the thickets where they are safe from hunters. It’s very difficult for hunters to get through the honeysuckle to get a clear shot at the deer. With the growth of the deer population comes the increase in the tick population. The ticks live off the deer and any other animal available. Attached is an article from Clifftop Alliance on the importance of removing bush honeysuckle to help lower the tick population and the risk of diseases they carry. Just click here.
Clearing Invasive Bush Honeysuckle for Future Generations
Because we were working in a state-owned nature reserve, we followed strict guidelines and working with a group of naturalists made it easy to keep the safety of mother nature our priority. Bush honeysuckle can be removed in the spring or fall, but once you’ve developed an eye for its yellowish-green leaves in the fall, this is the best time to remove it. The pictures in this post were taken late November which gives you an idea of how long bush honeysuckle holds its leaves making it the ideal time for removal. The foliage makes it easy to spot and remove before spring and infestation expands.
My niece Rachel Cosic adding cuttings to a big pile
Ways to Remove Bush Honeysuckle
- pulling small plants out by the roots
- digging up small plants
- cutting bushes at ground level and spraying the stump with a chemical that is regulated by the state. The chemical used is mixed by someone that has taken a class on proper mixing and spraying. The spray is usually colored with a dye to help distinguish which stumps have been sprayed. Great idea, right? Large piles of the cut brush were made and will be chopped or burned in the spring under the direction of the Department of Natural Resources.
- The cutting is done with a battery powered reciprocating saw for the medium sized bushes and a chainsaw for the large bushes.
- Aerial spraying is also done, but in areas that are highly controlled. You can read an article on aerial spraying here.
A honeysuckle stump before spraying
There are overall benefits of removing bush honeysuckle and they all have to do with the longtime preservation of our woods. Removal is important for the regeneration of the native timberland. Reestablishing native species will ensure future generations have forests and preserves to be used for outdoor classrooms and recreational purposes. The list of benefits could go on and on.
It’s been fun to learn about bush honeysuckle and work in a local nature reserve. Where I live a lot of people are in rural areas and are up against invasive honeysuckle all the time. This is not a one-time removal; its something that has to be continually maintained. At Knobeloch Woods, it’s a group of volunteers just trying to get the invasive plant under control so it can be maintained. A lot of man-hours have already gone in and will continue.
If you’re not located in Illinois, it’s easy to find local reserves by going to your Department of Natural Resources web page. Our is dnr.illinois.org, so you could replace the state and find your local information. I’ve visited sites and there are groups of volunteers in other parts of my state that are working towards the removal of bush honeysuckle. Get involved!
Do you battle bush honeysuckle in your area? Do you have any special ways of removal to share? The Sock Box 10 community would love to hear from you! Please consider leaving a comment below.
Thanks for stopping by, Rose