Woodland Projects Update

Time for an update on what volunteers from our community have been doing in the NCC Woodlands.

  • NCC Woodland Trail Maintenance – Buckthorn Root Removal
  • Purple Martin Birdhouse Project
  • Japanese Knotweed Invasive Species Removal Project
  • Pollinator Garden ready for Winter
  • Tree Saplings doing well

NCC Woodland Trail Maintenance – Buckthorn root removal

[Buckthorn Team in the Woods]
Left to right – Kris Phillips, Catherine Shearer and Adrian Bradley showing some of the Buckthorn roots removed from the pathway as part of ongoing trail maintenance in making the trails safer and more accessible.



Video of removal of Buckthorn roots, demonstrated by Catherine Shearer using the root remover tool. Download: img_6503.mov

[Pile of Buckthorn Roots]
One of the larger piles of buckthorn roots removed from the path. No more stumbles!

The lowering and closure of the Purple Martin Birdhouse

[Adrian Bradley, Birdhouse at half mast, Kelly Wiles]
Left to right: Adrian Bradley, Kelly Wiles. Catherine Shearer was unable to attend.

Kelly Wiles shown lowering the Purple Martin Birdhouse located along the JSAM parkway between the Carleton Avenue overpass and Remic Rapids. It’s lowered to avoid winter wind damage, since the trees no longer have leaves to slow down the ferocious north wind blowing over the river.

This joint project with the NCC is into its 2nd year since its installation. No Purple Martins nested this year; hoping that they checked out these accommodations and will visit next spring.

Japanese Knotweed Invasive Species Removal project

We have 2 sites within the Champlain Woods of the Japanese Knotweed.

[Area with leaves over a hidden tarpaulin, held down by branches]
Largest Knotweed site in the Champlain Woods. Adrian Bradley next to a sign that says: Japanese knotweed invasive species removal project.

This photo is the largest site, and we are pleased to report after 3 years of covering this area with tarp, it’s almost been completely eradicated.

[Japanese Knotweed Bush]
One variety of Japanese Knotweed.

This is what growing Japanese Knotweed looks like. The Wikipedia article describes how robust it is, surviving cold weather (-35C) and growing deep roots that make it hard to get rid of (you need both goats to eat it and pigs to dig it up). The annoying thing is that it grows quickly and thick enough to prevent other plants from growing there. If you want to imagine nanotechnology gone wrong, this would be a good comparison. Though in a competition between buckthorn and knotweed, which would win?

Pollinator Garden Ready for Winter

[Pollinator Garden seen from the North]
Pollinator Garden with Leaves and a new Sign. Click to see full size version.

Thanks to all the volunteers who helped set up the pollinator garden. It’s now ready for winter with a blanket of leaves.

[Garden Sign]
Pollinator Garden now has a Bilingual Explanatory Sign.

Tree saplings doing well, filling a forest clearing

[Forest clearing with tree saplings dotted about]
Former ash tree area is now a clearing with new native sapling trees growing up.

After 3 years of growth, the tree saplings that are filling the former ash tree area are getting bigger and looking healthy. One of the easier projects – we just let nature do all the work.

These are the current NCC Woodland projects all run by volunteers from our community and we are thankful for all their time and hard work in making them a success. We have more projects we’d like to work on, so stay tuned to hear about them and if interested, please contact us to participate.