Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera Maacki)

[TinyTucky]

I have been hunting a small parcel in NWO for 10 or 11 seasons now. It’s not a big chunk, but it’s the right chunk. Over the past 5 or more seasons this invasive plant “Amur Honeysuckle” has seriously taken this section over as well as the neighboring lots. Beyond the invasive plant, there’s a mixture of a few mature oaks, cherry trees, maples and a few white pines. It seems to offer a decent screen for entry and exit, but otherwise all it is doing is blocking sunlight for native plants. Does anyone know if this plant provides anything else for whitetails or other animals? From the little research I’ve done on it, it doesn’t sound like it has any positives. I would like to cut and kill a lot of it if it serves no positive purpose other than a screen upon entry. I’ve attached a photo from my stand, and this isn’t even the worst section of the lot. Everything that is green and leafy is said invasive plant.

 

[giles]

I've seen them eat it and it creates cover. I'd still like to clear mine out.

It's pretty bad and only getting worse. @LonewolfNopack knows a bunch about it.

 

[xbowguy]

They just went through and sprayed the tree farm for invasive species. I think they smoked more pot than they sprayed. But will say some of the "unwanted was taken out".

 

[brock ratcliff]

I believe it to be a never ending battle. If you don’t want it in your woodlands, you will need to work tirelessly to rid them of it. Actually, at this point I don’t think there is a viable way to beat it. But that is opinion and based solely on the fact every stand of timber south of I70 is chocked full of it and obviously spreading north. @LonewolfNopack actually is in the middle of the ongoing battle and has far more insight on the matter than I do.
One farm I have hunted since 1995 had one bush on it when I started. This year I had a quality buck @10 yards and never had a shot opportunity due to the honeysuckle. He walked all around under me for several minutes before I ever got a clear look at his antlers. 26 years is a long time, but it’s been this thick for at least 15 years. It takes over quick. Kill it while you can.

 

[Wildlife]

If I didn't have this things in our woods and on our property, I firmly believe I would not have nearly the kind of number of deer that live here. I have a love hate relationship with them cause I have to trim them back every year along our long ass driveway.

You can see what I am talking about in the following hyperlink;

What are some natural foods sources for Whitetail Deer?

 

[LonewolfNopack]

Guys, I kill Bush Honeysuckle and other invasives for a living. You DO NOT want this on your property. It decreases native wildlife value, increases soil erosion, degrades the eco system and even decreases property value. Theres too much info for me to type on my phone but as Brock says its a never ending battle and all we can do is try to get it to a manageable level on localized areas. There will never be a complete eradication. Ive killed 100s of acres of it and other invasives though with great results, so it is possible. If you want more info on how you can start killing this stuff PM me or you can follow my FB page Conservation Contracting, LLC. There are grants landowners can get that will assist in payment of eradication.

 

["J"]

Guys, I kill Bush Honeysuckle and other invasives for a living. You DO NOT want this on your property. It decreases native wildlife value, increases soil erosion, degrades the eco system and even decreases property value. Theres too much info for me to type on my phone but as Brock says its a never ending battle and all we can do is try to get it to a manageable level on localized areas. There will never be a complete eradication. Ive killed 100s of acres of it and other invasives though with great results, so it is possible. If you want more info on how you can start killing this stuff PM me or you can follow my FB page Conservation Contracting, LLC. There are grants landowners can get that will assist in payment of eradication.

Seth have you been seeing any kudzu up in your area yet?

 

[jagermeister]

Ahhhh, honeysuckle. Deer will use it for cover. But it is NOT what you want in your woodlands. Strike early, strike often, and don't let it take hold of your property. Eradicate as much as you can.

 

[LonewolfNopack]

Seth have you been seeing any kudzu up in your area yet?

Thankfully no, but I bet we will at some point. I see it every year heading to OBX in the Charleston WV area.

 

[TinyTucky]

Thanks for the replies! Sounds like a good project after season closes.

 

[brock ratcliff]

I just so happened to have snapped a pic from the tree where I shot that first deer from 26 years ago. This little strip of woods connects two larger woods. Back in 1995 there was one little green Bush in front of the stand, the only one I knew of on the farm. These were relatively open woods with just native grasses growing and minimal thorny plants. In fact I could see most of the way through the bigger piece of timber in the foreground. If this stuff is just starting in your neighborhood and you can, keep on top of it. Sean shot his 188” from this stand, and I killed a pile of PY deer from it back in the day. You couldn’t get an arrow to any of those deer today.

 

[brock ratcliff]

 

[TinyTucky]

@brock ratcliff when is the best time to cut it do you think? It sounds like cutting it makes it come back with a vengeance so you have to spray it as well?

 

[brock ratcliff]

It is easiest to identify quickly right now, only green thing left in the woods. I think Seth works on it all year long. I also believe they recommend cutting and spraying but again @LonewolfNopack is better suited to answer that. All I really know is I have cleared out areas of it only to have it back and thriving the next spring. I did not do it properly, but I’m of the belief even if you do it right, you’re going to need to keep doing it right for years and when it quit, it will be back.

 

[Jackalope]

@brock ratcliff when is the best time to cut it do you think? It sounds like cutting it makes it come back with a vengeance so you have to spray it as well?

i would cut it in the winter so I don’t have to deal with leaves but I don’t think it matters. And you will have to spray the stumps. The nature preserve that was beside me used some sort of paint on herbicide..

 

[LonewolfNopack]

The best, quickest and most efficient method is to foliar spray it in the fall. You do this once everything else starts changing or loosing its leaves to minimize collateral damage to other species. Honeysuckle holds its leaves well after other species, even Oaks. The bad part about this method is it is a small time window from Mid October to early November and we are close to being done with it this year. With all the moisture this fall the window has lasted longer then normal.

The next method is cut stump treatment. The timing for this is a lot bigger window, anytime between August and March. You don't want to do it during active growing season (spring, most of summer) as the plant is pushing reserves up to make leaves and fruits, so the herbicide doesn't get drawn down to the root system as effectively. You simply cut the bush off and treat the stump with herbicide. Its effective but slow going and its extremely hard work if you do it right.

For all methods you must use the correct herbicide at the correct times to be effective.

 

[LonewolfNopack]

Here is my foliar spraying rig

 

[NAC1989]

The best, quickest and most efficient method is to foliar spray it in the fall. You do this once everything else starts changing or loosing its leaves to minimize collateral damage to other species. Honeysuckle holds its leaves well after other species, even Oaks. The bad part about this method is it is a small time window from Mid October to early November and we are close to being done with it this year. With all the moisture this fall the window has lasted longer then normal.

The next method is cut stump treatment. The timing for this is a lot bigger window, anytime between August and March. You don't want to do it during active growing season (spring, most of summer) as the plant is pushing reserves up to make leaves and fruits, so the herbicide doesn't get drawn down to the root system as effectively. You simply cut the bush off and treat the stump with herbicide. Its effective but slow going and its extremely hard work if you do it right.

For all methods you must use the correct herbicide at the correct times to be effective.

Is the herbicide you use for stump treatments called Tordon RTU?

 

[finelyshedded]

I have been working on eradicating the honeysuckle growing in the hardwood timber stand our house sits in for about 5 years now. We have 3.3 acres total but our house sits just inside a 5-6 acre block of mature standing hardwood consisting of different types hickory’s, oaks and a few beech. Our lot is a large pie wedge slice shape that covers about 1.5 acres of this block. The first time I started the clearing of the honeysuckle took me several weeks of constant pulling and cutting. The piles I had of this invasive bush was enormous and plentiful which I eventually burned in my bonfire events after it dried out some. Since then I just make and take time to spot check and pull when I see small bushes pop up from time to time not letting it get out of hand like what happened before we bought the place. It’s an on going fight but once you clear it the first time it’s not as overwhelming but just something you need to make time for. I just pulled it up by the roots if I could and the large bushes got the chainsaw. It pulls loose at the roots pretty easily after rains BUT leaves sprouts that will eventually keep growing that’ll I’ll have to keep an eye on in the future. It’s quite noticeable when I look out beyond our back and side yards now and see where our property line meets the 4 neighboring properties. It’s where the honeysuckle starts and ends…..

Deer do love to browse on it and will use it to bed in and for cover along their travel routes.

 

[at1010]

Only thing I will add -

IF you are going to kill invasives, you should contact your local NRCS office and get paid to do so. I am working on AO/TOH removal on my property, I am doing the work myself and I get paid per acre. I have broken the farm up into 60-acre chunks and then the state forester has broken that up into 6-11 acre chunks with specific goals set therein. As I complete a section, he comes out, makes sure I am following up on my end of the bargain, and then I get a check cut from the county NRCS office.

This helps to justify the tireless effort and costs associated with invasive mgt. Also, if you want to hire it out - this will help to cover those costs as well, most times.