An Interesting Approach to Buckthorn Removal

It’s not every day you see a herd of goats on the loose, but that’s exactly what happened on a recent job site. The homeowner was using goats to clear undergrowth on a steep hill when they got away. Quickly reacting, one of our arborists, along with a group of neighbors and kids, became an impromptu goat-herding team to get them back in place and back to work!

Using Goats for Buckthorn Removal

This funny experience brings up a great topic: using goats for buckthorn removal. This method, often referred to as “prescribed grazing,” is gaining popularity as an eco-friendly way to manage invasive species. Goats are natural browsers, which means they prefer to eat woody plants, vines, and shrubs over grasses. This makes them surprisingly effective at targeting plants like buckthorn.

A key advantage of using goats is their exceptional ability to navigate steep, rocky, and heavily sloped terrain. They can easily access dense, overgrown areas that are difficult for people and heavy machinery to reach. But, while they are great at defoliating the plants and even destroying seeds to prevent spread, this method is often a temporary solution. The buckthorn can and will grow back if the root system is not addressed.

Combining Techniques for Lasting Buckthorn Removal

This is where the combination of techniques becomes a powerful strategy. For property owners with hard-to-reach areas, using goats first can be an ideal initial step. The goats act as a first-pass clearing crew, removing the thick, overgrown vegetation and making the area much more manageable and safer for human access.

After the goats have done their work, a professional tree service, like NWI Tree Service, can come in and provide a long-term, comprehensive buckthorn removal solution. Our methods involve targeted techniques that goats can’t provide. For smaller buckthorn plants, we use tools like a Weed Wrench to pull the plants and their root systems out of the ground, ensuring they won’t re-sprout. For larger, more established buckthorn, we cut the plant at the base and apply a targeted herbicide to the stump. This prevents the plant from growing back from the root system, providing a permanent solution.

By combining these techniques, you leverage the unique strengths of each method: the goats’ ability to clear inaccessible terrain, followed by a professional service’s expertise in long-term eradication.