We cleared the invasive buckthorn from 183 acres of the Bog this past winter. This grant-funded project is on pace to exceed our goal of controlling buckthorn in over 200 acres.
Buckthorn Control in the Bog
The shrub glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus) is probably the most serious invasive plant threat to the plant communities of the Cedarburg Bog. Winter 2024-25 was a productive season for our major project to control the invasive buckthorns in the Bog. The Southeastern Wisconsin Invasive Species Consortium (SEWISC) obtained a large grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for buckthorn control during the winter seasons from 2023 through early 2027, and FOCB received a Stewardship Friends Grant from the Wisconsin DNR.
Current Buckthorn Control Progress
We were not able to do any control work in the 2023-24 winter because the Bog never froze solidly to make winter access to the work areas feasible. 2024-25 was a great winter for ice and we had crews working in the Bog from November 4, 2024, through March 3, 2025. Our acreage goal for the entire project is 202 acres and in this single season we have already cleared of fruiting-sized buckthorn from 183 acres. We still have funds remaining in the SEWSIC grant, and FOCB recently received approval of another $20,000 WDNR Stewardship Friends Grant to continue control work next winter season; we should be able to substantially exceed our original goal by the time we have exhausted our funding. We can all celebrate FOCB’s major accomplishment preserving and protecting the native communities of our magnificent wetland!
Our hearty buckthorn control crew in the string bog
Cutting and treating buckthorn is tedious winter hand work
