This fall, the LIISMA team was excited to get our hands dirty and implement our very first terrestrial restoration project. The team has been suppressing pale swallowwort (Vincetoxicum rossicum) at Otis Pike State Forest in Manorville since 2021 by digging, clipping, and string trimming. Our work in this important pine barrens habitat suppresses the swallowwort and prevents it from going to seed, which protects the site and nearby areas, including grasslands, prime sunny habitat for this aggressive twining herb.
But something was missing. Native plants were present on site, but the area was still a sparse, sunny gap in the pitch pine-oak forest, an area still vulnerable to invasive species. Swallowwort is known to be allellopathic, releasing harmful compounds through its roots to subtly suppress other plants over time, especially limiting germination and early growth of native plants. Due to this sparse but not absent native understory, we inferred that native plants may be slow to naturally recover, but still able to survive. This meant it was time for a restoration project that would speed along ecosystem recovery.
Since swallowwort is a tough plant to control, the team developed a restoration plan to suppress swallowwort from all sides. Native tree, shrub, herb and vine species were selected to increase shade, competition, and site resilience and ultimately make it harder for swallowwort to grow. Pitch pine (Pinus rigida), bayberry (Morella pennsylvanica), smooth sumac (Rhus glabra), yarrow (Achillea millefolium), and virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) were selected to plant since they already occurred naturally on site and are known to do well there. What’s more, thanks to the Long Island Native Plant Initiative and Dropseed Native Landscapes, these donated plants were local ecotypes, hyper specific to our area, from both Long Island and the Northeast, making them perfect for use in restoration.
The team got to work on a crisp fall day as professional gardeners of the woods. Work began with digging and augering to prepare the soil for small plants and constructing custom cages to allow woodies room to grow and stretch while protected from deer. The team even caged a few oak saplings to take them off the menu for deer and encourage their survival. LIISMA was joined by LINPI co-president, Colleen Doyle-Novara, who expertly assisted with staging plants in the right habitat. Equipped with upcycled water coolers and a watering can, these soon to be wild plants still got lots of TLC to help them establish.
We took detailed records of the project and plants to conduct follow-up monitoring on return visits to manage the swallowwort. By adding plants to fill this small canopy gap and assist regeneration, swallowwort should get less sun and face more competition from native plants. One day, this site may be even more resilient against swallowwort and other invasives as a result of a robust native plant community. The team is excited to see how the site grows and changes over time, and eager to implement more restoration projects that plant seeds for the future.
LIISMA would like to extend a huge thank you to LINPI and Dropseed Native Landscapes for their generous donations of native plants to make this project possible!
