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Crescent Valley Riparian Blackberry Removal. Alexander Erwig , Brennan King, Nick Gremmels , and Spencer Stein. Background:. Himalayan Blackberry ( Rubus Armeniacus ) is an invasive species common in Oregon. b - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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The removal of invasive Himalayan Blackberries benefits the Crescent Valley creek and riparian area in a variety of manners. First and foremost it will improve the chances of native plant species and allow them to better compete with the invasive blackberries. When invasive plant species are introduced to an area they overrun the native species and interfere with the ecosystem. The removal of the blackberries helps to restore the ecosystem to its natural state prior to the introduction of the blackberries. Removal of the invasive blackberries will also beautify the creek area and result in a generally more pleasing appearance.
Crescent Valley Riparian Blackberry Removal
Background:
Himalayan Blackberry (Rubus Armeniacus) is an invasive species
common in Oregon. bThe plant grows rapidly and is extremely
aggressive. A single shoot can grow up to 20 feet in one
season.Native species are often beaten out by the Himalayan
Blackberry and die off.One square yard of land can potentially hold
up to 500 canes (the foundations of the plant).
Goals:
Remove Himalayan Blackberries from a selected site.
Conduct removal in a manner such that there is a lasting
impact.
Purpose:
The removal of Himalayan Blackberries will allow native plant
species to regrow restoring the natural riparian ecosystem
The removal of invasive blackberries and regrowth of native
species promotes the sustainability and ultimate success by
preventing future outbreaks,
Past Efforts:
Efforts by the school grounds-keepers to cut back the vines have
simply resulted in the stronger regrowth of the vines.
Another group tried to remove blackberries near the gym but the
rootballs of the plants were not removed so they just grew
back.
Sustainability:
To make sure our project was sustainable we made sure it met the
four sustainable system conditions identified by the Natural
Step:Fuels and metals should not be extracted.Should not contribute
to the build up of harmful chemicalsPrevent the destruction of
nature.Not dependent on social inequality or preventing others from
meeting their basic needs.
Prevent the destruction of nature:
Our project was designed to restore the site to its naturalstate.
Our removal of invasive species enabled native plants to reclaim
the area.
Should not contribute to the build up of harmful
chemicals:
Our project did not contribute to the build up of harmful chemicals.
We opted to conduct removalby hand rather than through useof
pesticides in order to meet this step.
Methods
Site selection
Blackberry removal
Disposal
Site Selection
Reviewed past efforts and determined where prior removal had been
conducted.
Walked the creek to determine a spot in need of removal efforts.
Settle on the selected site after determining it was the easiest
to access and most in need of removal.
Removal Strategies
Himalayan blackberries were removed from the selected site by both
shearing and pulling by hand.Shearing: Using garden shears to cut
the plant back as close to the root ball as possible.Pulling: Using
gloves to pull up the roots of the plant.Tips and Tricks: Pulling
is a more effective long-term removal strategy.Pulling the plant
straight up increases your chances of getting the whole
root.Targeting the base of the plant rather than individual vines
can result in a quicker removal process.
Himalayan blackberry root ball.
Disposal:
The blackberries were cartedout of the work site
usingwheelbarrows.
The blackberries were loaded into a trailer.
The blackberries are to be takento the Allied Waste compost
facilitythis weekend.
Results:
Before
After
Discussion:
The blackberry removal was extremely successful, the removal of
blackberries from our target area was thorough and complete.
We have hopes for the long term success of the project as we
tried to completely remove the roots of the plants rather than
simply cutting the vines back.