by Dennis Dalman
The latest weapon in the war against pesky buckthorn is goats.
Yes. Goats. Browsing goats love to munch on buckthorn plant leaves, and that’s just what they’re doing right now. They’re feasting on buckthorn in Quarry Park and Nature Preserve in Waite Park, the largest park in Stearns County, with 683 acres. The buckthorn-removal project will be done on 90 acres of the park’s property – on forest land, wetland areas and at rock outcroppings.
Goats are also being used for buckthorn-removal at many other parks in Minnesota and elsewhere.
A three-year effort began last week to rid Quarry Park of buckthorn through a combination of cutting, spraying and goat browsing. The effort is made possible by a partnership among Stearns County Parks, Great River Greening, the Wild Turkey Federation and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Funding for the buckthorn-removal project is provided by the Minnesota Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund and by the Heritage Fund, which is part of the state’s Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.
Unlike sheep and cattle who “graze” while eating, goats are known as “browsers” because they “browse” while eating – that is, they eat the tops of plants with their heads pointing up, and they even climb to access food sources, including twigs and young shoots. Goats not only enjoy buckthorn, they even eat poison ivy as a “delicacy.”
The dozens of goats are being kept in a fenced area of the park when they are not let out to browse and gorge on buckthorn. The goats are monitored by a Goat Watcher Volunteer Group. Anyone who would like to become a goat watcher should contact goatdispatchinfo@email.com.
The goats, along with cutting and spraying, will reduce or eliminate buckthorn plants throughout the park, thus promoting the growth of oak trees and other species of healthy ecologically beneficial plants and grasses.
There are two types of buckthorn that threaten parks throughout Minnesota and elsewhere – “common buckthorn” and “glossy buckthorn.” It is considered a deciduous small tree or shrub and can grow as high as 25 feet tall. Buckthorn began showing up in America when European immigrants brought the plants here to use to make hedges. The hedge buckthorn then quickly spread to other areas.
Buckthorn is a nuisance plant because it out-competes native plants for nutrients, light and moisture, thus degrading wildlife habitat. It also contributes to erosion because it shades out and keeps from growing other plants on a forest floor. Buckthorn can also be a host to other pests, such as crown rust fungus and soybean aphids. The plant lacks natural controls such as insects or disease that would otherwise curb its profuse growth.
Birds often eat buckthorn berries, then excrete the seeds, causing the plant to spread rapidly in a widespread area, causing dense thickets in forests, yards, parks and roadsides.
Goats wander in the woods in search of buckthorn and other favorite delicacies like poison ivy.
This photo shows buckthorn leaves, which goats enjoy eating. The buckthorn “tree” or “shrub” can grow up to 25 feet tall.
