By Brian O’Shea, Plateau Daily News
People from throughout the community recently showed up for the Coalition for Nonnative Invasive Plant Management’s (CNIPM) monthly volunteer workday in July, and at the top of the agenda was reducing invasive plant populations at the Highlands Biological Station.
Andrew Renfro, Stewardship Coordinator at the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust said volunteers from several different organizations that make up the CNIPM Partnership were divided into two groups, one focused on treating oriental bittersweet vines, English Ivy, periwinkle, creeping Charlie, and other invasives.
Andrew Renfro holds some oriental bittersweet removed from the north campus of the highlands Biological station.
The second group worked in the Botanical Gardens to remove goutweed.
“Each invasive plant species can pose different threats and challenges in our local ecosystems,” said Renfro. “We tend to focus our removal efforts on invasive plants that are more aggressive from a growth or reproductive standpoint and those that pose the greatest threat to our native biodiversity.”
Volunteer Richard Yow pulls a small oriental bittersweet vine that was smothering a native witch hazel tree.
He added that common invasives to keep an eye out for include; Japanese knotweed, oriental bittersweet, privet, english ivy, burning bush, butterfly bush, and periwinkle.
CNIPM Partners include:
Town of Highlands, N.C.
Laurel Garden Club Land Stewards of the Highlands Plateau
Highlands Biological Station
Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust
Highlands Historical Society
Highlands Plateau Audubon Society
Highlands Plateau Greenway
Pictured at the top of the article are volunteers from left Kate Dumas, Anneliese Pinnell, Sudiksha Battineni, Laura Gamble, Ken Conover, Diane Lennox, Jim Costa, and Brightman Logan.