As Landscape Architects, we believe that ecologically responsible design must go beyond just minimizing our impact on the local and global environment. Instead, we see every project as an opportunity to restore the integrity of a site and to make it fundamentally regenerative for the larger community in the long term.
A key role we can play in helping to restore ecosystems is to give back to our community through invasive plant removal/control. As defined by the United States Department of Agriculture, an invasive plant species is defined as a species that is
- Non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration; and,
- Whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. (Executive Order 13112)
To do our part, Andropogon volunteered with the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust to help remove the following species from the Pennypack Watershed:
- Porcelain-berry (Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata)
- Devil’s walkingstick (Aralia spinosa)
- Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii)
- European privet (Ligustrum vulgare)
- Multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora)
The brush Andropogon’s plant removal produced was hauled out and turned into mulch and the Pennypack team spot-sprayed the remaining live stems of Euonymus and Aralia to reduce regrowth.
“You can’t find such dedicated and knowledgeable volunteers just anywhere. I knew I could count on Andropogon not just to do hard work in remote and difficult areas, but to also enjoy doing it!”
– Chris Mendel | Executive Director, Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust.
Efforts like this and the steps others take to restore and protect native ecosystems will help preserve the land we cherish.