Working Woods Workshop: Managing Woodland Invasives

Saturday Oct. 11, 9:30am-3:00pm | Working Woods Learning Forest, Holden Arboretum

$40 per person - includes lunch and take-home management kit

Join the Working Woods Hub at Holden Arboretum to learn about the impact invasive plants have on our native forests and build skills in invasive plant identification as well as common treatment methods.

You can always peruse our upcoming program offerings

on our Programs & Events page.

Autumn is a prime time to start a mushroom-growing hobby with hardwood logs cut from felled trees or reclaimed from those thrown down in storms. Mushroom spawn - comprised of substrate colonized by the vegetative part of mushrooms called mycelium - can be used to inoculate these logs, much like sowing seed in a garden.

Logs selected for mushroom growing should have a good amount of sapwood and be cut to a size that can be easily lifted and moved - 3.5 feet long and 6 inches diameter is a good rule of thumb. Each species of culinary mushroom has preferred log species - Oyster mushrooms pair best with Tulip Poplar, Cottonwood, and Ash, whereas Shiitake mushrooms grow well on Oak, Beech, and Sugar Maple.

Plug shaped spawn can be pounded into drilled holes or sawdust spawn can be layered, sandwich-style, between slices of log. A form of protection, like wax, can be used to seal everything off. Inoculated logs should be stored in the deep shade of the woods, or even a shady, protected north-side of a building can work well as a log laying yard. Proximity to water is also important so that logs can be soaked during dry spells to prevent the mycelium from dying.

Mycelium will colonize the log over winter and spring but the first mushrooms may not appear until the following summer or fall - patience pays off! A successfully-colonized log can continue to fruit with mushrooms for years to come.

Rebecah Troutman

Working Woods Hub Manager

In the fall, we often think of plants winding down for the year—leaves dropping, flowers fading, and a slower season for land management. However, fall is actually one of the best times to tackle non-native invasive shrubs such as buckthorn, privet, and barberry. These species have a competitive advantage: they stay green longer than most of our native plants. By late in the season, the green you still see in the understory is often invasive. So if you notice a splash of green when all else has gone quiet, take a closer look to identify it. If it’s an invasive shrub, now is the ideal time to act—cut the stump and treat it with herbicide, or hand-pull smaller plants from the ground. Fall is not just for enjoying the color- it is prime time for spotting and stopping invasives! 

Valerie McCauley

Holden Seed Bank Technician

Autumn is the season when many native trees and shrubs begin to go to seed. Key species in our native forests like red oak (Quercus rubra), black walnut (Juglans nigra), and shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) are beginning to produce fruit, nuts, or seeds - referred to as mast. These fruits serve as critical food sources for wildlife, particularly through the winter months. Mast production varies greatly from year to year, with most species only producing fruit every few years. Since fruit production is so variable, collecting and replanting seeds from these valuable trees is a great way to expand their populations within your woods.

To store seeds until they are ready to be sown, it is best practice to keep seed cold and dry; however, collected seeds have to be processed depending on seed storage behavior. Seeds with orthodox seed storage behavior, like shagbark hickory and black walnut, are capable of being stored in cold, dry conditions for several years before they are sown, with the caveat that no seed lasts forever. However, red oak exhibits recalcitrant seed storage behavior: this means that their acorns cannot tolerate being dried completely and have to be sown shortly after collection. To sow acorns on your own, plant them 2 inches deep in bark-based soil mix over winter; seedlings should emerge in the spring!

We’re all familiar with the colorful fall foliage of our Eastern hardwood forests this time of year. This seasonal characteristic of deciduous trees functions as much more than beautiful scenery, as once the leaves fall to the ground, the leaf litter they generate is a vital component of healthy forest soils. You can think of forest soils as a layered dip with the top layer consisting of fallen, partially decayed leaves, sticks, and other organic matter. This leaf layer is referred to as “duff” and functions in several ways to enrich and protect the soil. 

As leaves in the duff layer decay, they return essential nutrients to the soils and act as a natural fertilizer for plant growth. This process of decomposition also contributes to forests’ ability to store carbon. Much of the carbon present in leaves becomes locked in organic matter as part of the soil composition. Sequestering carbon in soils is one of many ways forests can mitigate climate change by reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide. 

Additionally, the leaf layer in forests provides a layer of protection over the soils which is necessary for healthy forest ecology.  Duff provides suitable conditions for tree seedling regeneration, habitat for small organisms, and affects hydrology by slowing erosion and increasing moisture retention in soils.

Next time you are admiring the vibrant colors of a beautiful forest landscape, remember that the fall leaf drop is not only an aesthetic benefit of trees (or tedious chore around the yard), but also a key component of forest health.

Caitlin Stillisano

Lake County Soil & Water Conservation District Watershed Coordinator

Forested streams in Northeast Ohio play a critical role in protecting water quality. Tree roots stabilize streambanks, forest soils filter runoff, and shady canopies help keep water cool and clean. But when streambanks erode—often due to increased stormwater runoff from upstream development and the loss of native vegetation—sediment clouds the water, harming fish habitat and degrading water quality downstream.

One simple, effective way to restore stream stability is by planting live stakes—dormant cuttings from native shrubs like silky dogwood, black willow, or elderberry— directly into eroding banks. These stakes take root quickly and grow into dense shrubs that hold soil in place and slow down stormwater. As they mature, they improve stream health by reducing sediment, filtering nutrients, providing shade and creating wildlife habitat.

November is a perfect time to plant live stakes in Northeast Ohio, when the shrubs are dormant and the soil is still workable. Paired with other good practices—like maintaining forested buffers and managing invasive species—live staking offers a low-cost, high-impact solution for protecting local waterways.

Interested in ordering live stakes for a fall planting?

Chad Knisely

Holden Natural Areas Biologist

Each year, hunters harvest roughly 125,000 white-tailed deer during Ohio’s generous deer season, stretching from late September through early February with periods dedicated for archery, firearm, and muzzleloader hunting. Yet, despite the thousands of deer harvested across the state each year, trends monitored by the Division of Wildlife indicate that the statewide deer population is still growing. 

Deer co-evolved with predators like wolves and cougars and developed a great ability to replace themselves. When these important predators were extirpated from the landscape in the 1800s, humans assumed the place at the top of the food chain. This, paired with changes in land use which created favorable habitat, has led to a nearly decade-long trend of growth in Ohio’s deer population.

Overabundant deer have a dramatic impact on the landscape – disrupting the process of forest regeneration by heavily browsing on native tree and shrub saplings, thus creating favorable conditions for invasive plants. These activities can disrupt forest regeneration and suppress native herbaceous plants like spring ephemerals. 

The harvesting of deer, particularly the taking of does, is good for the forest, good for the health of the deer population, good for the local economy, and good for people. Harvested venison is meat in its purest form: wild, organic, from a known source, and highly sustainable. It is one that is earned, can be shared, and reminds us of our connection to the land. In our neck of the woods, good deer management is an integral part of good forest management.