According to the DNR website, exotic animal and plant pests are invading Indiana and multiplying, causing economic and visual damage. Indiana Wildlife Federation has a list of exotic, non-native plants to avoid but many landowners already have well established invasives on their property and need to know how to eradicate, or at least manage, what is already there. If that is the case, you need a management plan.
First, know what you have. If you need help with this step, there are some great plant identification smart phone apps or you can contact the Invasive Species Resource Specialist for our area, Erica Luchik. Second, know how much you have. You can use Google Earth to print out an aerial photo of your property and mark where you find invasives. Third, determine how you want to use the land.
Now you can begin to prioritize your attack. Focus on large blocks of un-invaded areas and keep them un-invaded. Next, control small, younger outlier populations. Then, fragment the large invaded areas into smaller, more manageable segments.
You can find more detailed information creating your plan for controlling invasives at www.invasive.org.
More information on Marshall County Soil and Water Conservation District can be found at www.marshallcountyswcd.org or on Facebook.
By Debbie Palmer
Marshall County SWCD
