Hard Work Pays Off for Invasive Removal Teams

October 2, 2024

Rapid-spreading invasive plants tend to take over the native vegetation in our forests and fields, so invasive species removal is a big part of Skagit Land Trust’s land stewardship work. We are gratified to see results at several sites where we’ve been combatting Scotch broom, garlic mustard, and spotted knapweed.

The Scotch broom removal work that we began in the Diobsud Creek Conservation Area in 2021 has really started to pay off – a volunteer crew in May of 2024 was able to remove all the Scotch broom plants within two hours before moving on to pull other weeds, such as periwinkle.

In 2024, we utilized AmeriCorps crews and hosted volunteer work parties to hand-pull flowering plants in several garlic mustard patches that we had first discovered in the Pressentin Ranch Conservation Area in spring of 2023.

In June of 2024, we also removed spotted knapweed at Cascade River Conservation Area where we had previously worked to control both knapweed and Scotch broom. This year’s volunteer crew found no Scotch broom and was able to thoroughly survey and pull spotted knapweed throughout the site!

Although we aren’t “out of the weeds” yet (we probably have another 2-3 years of continued monitoring to be sure that we’ve eradicated the population), this year’s findings show how well a multi-year stewardship approach works to restore the places we love.

Volunteer Terry gets ready to do some boot brushing after removing garlic mustard at Pressentin Ranch.

Volunteers are vital to the success of Skagit Land Trust, and they are involved in almost every aspect of the work we do. If you are interested in offering your knowledge and skills in any capacity to help protect land in Skagit County, please visit our volunteer page and contact us.

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