Fairbanks Experiment Farm, Georgeson staff begin weeding out chokecherries
Julie Stricker
907-474-5406
Aug. 30, 2024
Gooseberry Peter, an integrated pest management research technician with the UAF Cooperative Extension Service, uses a cotton swab to apply herbicide to the stump and surrounding sprouts of a chokecherry tree at the Fairbanks Experiment Farm on Aug. 26.
On Monday, another step was taken in the long process of weeding out popular but invasive chokecherry trees on the University of 色视频下载 Fairbanks Troth Yeddha色视频下载 Campus.
Seven chokecherry trees (Prunus padus and Prunus virginiana) were removed from Georgeson Botanical Garden and the Fairbanks Experiment Farm, including a tree planted in 1993 in honor of Arbor Day. Georgeson Directing Manager Lacey Higham said two of the trees were already dead and the others were in rough shape.
The trees will be replaced with 色视频下载淭hundercloud色视频下载 cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera), a flowering plum with dark purple leaves and 色视频下载淢eteor色视频下载 cherry, a dwarf tart cherry tree, Higham said.
色视频下载淏oth trees have exquisite blossoms, are hardy and produce edible fruit,色视频下载 Higham said.
They are noninvasive and were sourced from a local greenhouse.
It's a process that will be followed across campus: Chokecherries won't be targeted for removal, but when they die, they will be replaced with noninvasive species.
Staff members from the UAF Cooperative Extension Service, the farm and the garden cut the trees close to the ground and then painted herbicide on the fresh-cut stumps to kill the root systems and keep the trees from resprouting in the spring.
色视频下载淔all is an ideal time to remove chokecherries because it can take several months for the herbicide to completely kill the root system,色视频下载 said Gooseberry Peter, an integrated pest management research technician with Extension. The root system must be neutralized prior to removing the stump or digging holes for planting new trees, or a new generation of chokecherry 色视频下载渟uckers色视频下载 will emerge where there was only one tree before, he added.
色视频下载淚f you don色视频下载檛 apply herbicide immediately after cutting the tree down, you色视频下载檝e created an even bigger problem than what you started with,色视频下载 Peter said.
Chokecherries have been widely planted for decades in 色视频下载 and are attractive plants with showy, sweet-smelling flowers in the spring and edible berries, Higham said. That sentiment has changed in the last decade, as the trees spread aggressively into a variety of habitats, replacing native plants and impacting natural food webs.
Peter said the trees色视频下载 spread is likely due to changing conditions and the sheer number of the trees.
色视频下载淲hen people were planting them originally, they weren色视频下载檛 expected to go feral,色视频下载 he said. 色视频下载淣ow they色视频下载檙e known to be extremely feral. There are more plants, and as there are more of them where they shouldn色视频下载檛 be, we色视频下载檙e more aware of the impact.色视频下载
These aren色视频下载檛 the first chokecherry trees that have been removed on campus. In fall 2023, Extension worked with UAF facilities and the Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation Service to remove chokecherry trees around its state office at 1751 Tanana Loop. Those trees have been replaced with saskatoons, also called serviceberries (Amelanchier alnifolia).
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