Groups working to combat invasive plants on
the seacoast can now borrow some tough "WeedWrenching" tools to make
their efforts more effective. The Great Bay National Estuarine Research
Reserve, a part of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, has announced a
new invasive plant removal tool loan program funded by the Lamprey River
Advisory Committee.
The program establishes a storehouse of
specialized tools to be used as a community resource. Called "WeedWrenches,"
these tools are useful for manual removal of woody stemmed invasive plants such
as glossy buckthorn, autumn olive, multiflora rose and honeysuckles. Currently,
a total of 26 WeedWrenches are available in four different sizes -- enough
tools to equip large work groups.
NH Coverts Project staff member Malin Clyde
reports on the program: "We
borrowed 12 of these for a recent Invasive Plant Workday in Durham. We
spent two days pulling common buckthorn, using over 55 volunteers. We got through more than 2 acres of a
substantial infestation, which was twice as much ground as we thought we would
cover. Although having a large
number of energetic volunteers is probably the most important factor, having
the WeedWrenches is essential. They
make pulling shrubs possible - without them, we would have had no other choice
than using herbicide, which was an option our town wanted to avoid, if
possible." You can check out photos from the Durham Workday online at Flickr here.
Learn more about the Seacoast Weed Wrench Loan Program from NH Fish & Game here
