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F ran • The Official City Newsletter for Arden Hills Residents November 2001 Eagle Scout candidate aids city in fight against buckthorn Eradicating nuisance bush may take a decade w..m 0 n Saturday and Sunday, Septem- A ber 29 and 30,and again on Saturday,October 27,the City of Arden Hills began what may well be a ten-year volunteer effort to control buckthorn on all public and private land.The Parks,Trails and Recreation Committee targeted Crepeau Park for this year's efforts. Eagle Scout candidate Peter Dinndorf,a junior at Mounds View High School and 0member of Boy Scout Troop 408, R -rganized much of the volunteer help on Community volunteers including the Boy Scouts worked to remove buckthorn from t Crepeau Park this fall his inaugural project. How do I know if my property has buckthorn? On Saturday, Scouts and volunteers from the Parks,Trails and Recreation Commit- Tips for identifying this growing threat � Commit- tee worked with Parks and Recreation ommon buckthorn is a small, and contain several seeds.The Director and Acting Public Works shrubby tree. Its poisonous juice is greenish-black. Director Tom Moore and maintenance small, black berries are often employees Dave Winkel,Fred Bell, and mistaken for wild black cherries.This Cherry and plum plants: Cherries Scott Freyberger cutting and chipping non-native plant has become a weedy and plums are closely related. literally hundreds of buckthorn trees in nuisance competing with more Their twigs often emit an unpleas- Crepeau Park. desirable native trees and shrubs. It ant odor when broken.The buds also serves as an alternate host for jut out from the twigs and are often Removal of this invasive species greatly oak crown rust. clustered near the tip and/or are enhances the health and beauty of our bunched together on the sides. If parks. Common buckthorn is often confused thorns are present(as on some with certain wild cherries and plums. plums)the thorns stick straight out The Scouts and a number of parents also Here are some hints to help you from the twig like short branches. spread wood chips on the hiking paths. distinguish one from another. The leaves turn yellow in the fall Additional volunteer efforts will be and drop early.The berries can be scheduled yet this fall. Common buckthorn: Buckthorn twigs red or black if pea-sized, blue, are tipped with a short sharp thorn. yellow, red or purple if larger.They Buckthorn has become a weedy The buds are slightly curved and all contain the familiar single, hard nuisance which threatens to choke pressed to the stem.The leaves are pit.The juice is red or purplish. out more desirable trees and shrubs. dark green with curved main veins. • For more information about buck- They hang on late into the fall without thorn, call volunteer Phil Fabe/at changing color.The berries are black 651-636-2233. i `i f