[MAIPC] Interesting experience with Japanese Tree Lilac

[Mary Travaglini]

I just thought you'd all find this interesting. Especially if anyone knows of formal plantings of Japanese tree lilac (Syringa reticulata) in the Mid-Atlantic. Over the past few days I was training Americorps members in invasive plant control, and our training was in New Hampshire. We were working at a National Park Service site called Saint Gaudens, where there is a historical planting of Japanese tree lilac, and being wind dispersed it's blown across into the woods and has been invading for years. But interestingly some of the larger ones we cut in the woods were at least 65 years old, and the forest floor was abundant with seedlings from 6 feet down to first or second year seedlings. We had an average of about 175 stems per 5 meter plot, and cut or pulled about 13,000 stems over three afternoons of work. Was quite the adventure trying to make sure we didn't hit the dogwwods since they have leaves that are almost identical and are both opposite.There isn't much to show on the internet about this species, from an invasives standpoint, and this infestation is not on EDDMaps, but I did see that some people had problems with it in New York and Massachusetts. Anyone seen or heard of a problem with it a little farther south?
Mary
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.maipc.org/pipermail/maipc-maipc.org/attachments/20150527/1578bff9/attachment.htm>