Check your tree tubes!

Be on the lookout for invasives growing up through the tubes!

This past week, JRA staff and volunteers noticed a ton of greenery that at first glance looks like part of a thriving tree, but was actually bittersweet and honeysuckle smothering native seedlings inside the shelters. Locating and releasing the vines is applicable to both new and mature buffer sites.

Additional Tip: What to do after a flood? 

Trees trapped in shelters knocked down by floods typically will die even without rodent damage, which also increases in downed tubes. It is unclear how long trees survive if pinned down but getting tubes and trees upright sooner vs. later reduces the risk of loss. Within a week of any flood, check that shelters and stakes are upright and sound. Also check for damage to any fences, crossings, etc. as applies to your project. 

Learn more by checking out the Landowner Guide to Buffer Success!

Guide created in part by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP).