The Battle on Buckthorn; How to Spot It, Stop It, and Restore Your Woods

The first step is identification and buckthorn have sort of a unique egg shaped leaf that has very fine serrations along the edge of it. Aside from the leaf shape, buckthorn also retain a green color later in the fall time than most native trees and shrubs. It has a silvery bark that has some bumps on it and then also if you hack into the bark just a little bit you can see that it has sort of an orange cork cambium layer just beneath the bark. Buckthorn stems can appear both alternate or opposite but there is the characteristic thorn on the end of some of the branches that can help you identify that it’s buckthorn. Some of the plants also produce a very dark colored berry which makes those larger plants easier to identify. Buckthorn leaves also stay green in the fall time. They don’t really turn pretty oranges or yellows before dropping, they sort of just stay green until they fall off the plant. What makes buckthorn bad to have in your woods is that it has kind of all the characteristics of invasive species that we don’t like. So it greens up really early in the springtime and it stays green really late in the fall time that creates a longer canopy on the forest floor so it outcompetes native understory vegetation. They’re not able to green up in the spring, they’re not getting that sunlight that they are looking for, and then it stays green so late in the fall time that they’re not getting any advantage of that late summer kind of warm sun either. So creating a plan for removing the buckthorn in your woods is a super important step. It’s usually a really big project and we totally get how much work it is. Traditional tools for removing buckthorn might include a chainsaw, a brush cutter, a pruner or a lopper, or even hand pulling of the smaller material. So starting with removing just the berry producing plants is a popular idea. That’s getting those seeds out of the woods until you’re able to tackle the project a little further. Beyond that, you might consider taking out larger material in the late fall or winter time and have a plan for follow-up control. Whichever method you use for cutting the buckthorn will depend on the size of the stem, but one consideration is what you’re gonna do after cutting because if you just leave the stem as is, it’s gonna re sprout. Buckthorn is a very vigorous grower so it’s gonna re sprout from the stump unless you treat it with an herbicide. And there’s a couple different options that you can use there depending on the time of the year. If you choose not to use an herbicide that’s okay but just know that it’s going to re sprout from the stem and you’re going to need to continuously recut that stump or recut the regrowth. The high cut method is a method that does not require herbicide. That is where you would cut the stems at about chest height and then return later in the season and cut it again and cut it one more time later in the season and that takes two to three years of follow-up before you exhaust the resources from the root of that plant. And that method is most effective done late spring like late May or June or so. Once you’ve cut all of the woody debris or as you’re going along, as part of your plan you should decide how you’re going to remove the material. Are you going to pile it up to burn it? Is burning aloud in your area? Are you going to pile the material and haul it off-site or rent a chipper? Depending on the level of infestation you have, you may acquire quite a bit of material so having a plan for getting rid of it is important too. After the big removal of the buckthorn plants that you’ll have some regrowth from the berries that have dropped over the years that you’ve had buckthorn on-site. You’ll also have some growth where soil disturbance has occurred, you’ll see weedy growth and then also the re sprouts from the stems that weren’t treated. Have a plan for removing those in the future and also have a plan for revegetating the space with native plants. It’s been proven that native plants reduce buckthorn regrowth by providing competition for resources. Site preparation for reseeding, it will depend a little bit on the time of year and sort of what your woods are like but we want to get down to bare weed free soil so you may want to blow the leaves out of the space, rake up the soil and then you can sprinkle out those native seeds. It’s also important to replant native shrubs especially fruit producing shrubs which are nice and flowering for you. They provide more screening and they provide food for wildlife.

Identifying Buckthorn

The first step is identification. Buckthorn has a unique, egg-shaped leaf with very fine serrations along the edge. Aside from the leaf shape, it also stays green later into the fall than most native trees and shrubs.

It has silvery bark with small bumps, and if you cut into it slightly, you’ll see an orange cork cambium layer just beneath the bark. The stems can appear both alternate or opposite, but a key feature is the small thorn at the end of some branches. Larger plants often produce dark-colored berries, which make them easier to identify.

Buckthorn leaves also stay green well into the fall. They don’t turn the bright oranges or yellows of native plants — they just stay green until they drop.

Why Buckthorn Is a Problem

What makes buckthorn bad to have in your woods is that it has all the traits we dislike in invasive species. It greens up really early in the spring and stays green really late into fall. This extended growing season creates a longer canopy over the forest floor, which shades out native vegetation and prevents it from greening up in spring.

Because buckthorn holds its leaves so long, native plants lose access to both early spring and late summer sunlight. Over time, this gives buckthorn a major advantage and crowds out native understory species.

Creating a Removal Plan

Creating a plan for removing buckthorn is an important step and yes, it’s usually a big project. We know it’s a lot of work!

Traditional tools for removing buckthorn include a chainsaw, brush cutter, loppers or pruners, or simply hand-pulling smaller plants. Many people start by removing the berry-producing shrubs first, since that prevents new seeds from spreading while you tackle the rest later.

You might choose to remove larger plants in the late fall or winter, when it’s easier to see and reach them. Whatever method you use, make sure you also plan for follow-up control — because cutting is only half the job.

Cutting and Follow-Up

The method you use will depend on the size of the stem. But remember: if you just cut buckthorn and walk away, it will sprout back quickly. It’s a vigorous grower and will resprout from the stump unless treated or managed afterward.

If you use herbicide, there are several options depending on the time of year. If you choose not to use herbicide, that’s fine — just be ready to come back and cut the regrowth repeatedly.

One option is the high-cut method, which doesn’t require herbicide. In this approach, you cut the stem at about chest height, then return later in the season to cut it again and again the following year. It usually takes two to three years of follow-up cutting to fully exhaust the root system. This method works best in late spring to early summer, around May or June.

Disposing of Buckthorn

As you cut, think ahead about how you’ll remove or dispose of all that woody debris.

Will you pile it up and burn it? (Check if burning is allowed in your area.) Will you haul it off-site or rent a chipper? Depending on how bad the infestation is, you could end up with a lot of material, so having a disposal plan in place will make the work much easier.

Managing Regrowth and Restoring the Site

After the big removal, expect some regrowth. Seeds from berries that dropped years ago will sprout, and disturbed soil will often invite new weeds. You’ll also get sprouts from stumps that weren’t treated.

Plan ahead for removing these in the future and for replanting the area with native plants. It’s been proven that native vegetation helps reduce buckthorn regrowth by competing for sunlight, nutrients, and space.

Preparing for Reseeding

Site preparation for reseeding depends on the time of year and the conditions in your woods. The goal is to get down to bare, weed-free soil. You might blow or rake away leaves, loosen the soil, and then scatter native seeds over the area.

It’s also important to replant native shrubs especially fruit-producing ones. They’ll provide flowers, screening, and valuable food for wildlife, helping restore a healthy, resilient forest ecosystem.