Invasive Plants or Trees

Read our features Woodland Wildlife Spotlight, Invasives in Your Woodland, and the Brain Tickler challenge. There's also news about the state Tree Farmer of the Year and much more.

Twenty-five years of "Branching Out" - read how it all started. Plus, read our "Woodland Wildlife Spotlight" and "Invasives in Your Woodland," and take the Brain Tickler challenge. This and much more inside this issue.

Read about some of the changes to the Woodland Stewardship Education program and News and Notes about stories you might have missed. Our regular features include the Woodland Wildlife Spotlight and Invasives in Your Woodland, and the Brain Tickler challenge. 

Japanese privets are less common than other privets that are more widespread across the eastern U.S. Reported sightings in the mid-Atlantic are sparse, but it may be more widespread, based on its continued use in landscaping.

European buckthorn is a native of Europe and was introduced here as an ornamental plant, perhaps as early as the late 1700s. In the 1900s, it was planted widely to form living fence rows and for wildlife habitat. Since then, it has spread aggressively into a variety of environments.

Autumn olive is now considered an invasive plant species for a variety of reasons. While it is not illegal to sell the plant in every jurisdiction where it exists, many natural resources management agencies and organizations discourage property owners from further planting.

Japanese barberry tolerates shade, resists drought, and deer don’t eat it. While this sounds like a perfect combination for ornamental planting, because deer do not browse it, it can outcompete native shrubs. It spreads rapidly through woodlands, open fields, and wetlands.

Eurasian bush honeysuckles are non-native species that can out-compete many native plant species. They are found throughout Maryland and the mid-Atlantic states, where these multi-stemmed plants spread rapidly in disturbed areas, forming dense thickets that can reach ten to fifteen feet in height.

English ivy can be found in many areas throughout Maryland and the nation. You can see it in both woodlands and urban areas alike. This climbing vine is a highly aggressive invader that threatens all levels of forested and open area.

Golden bamboo, also known as fishpole bamboo or running bamboo, is an invasive plant that was introduced to North America over a century ago and is still offered for sale as a fast-growing ornamental plant.