5 Steps To Residential Vegetation Management

Learn to identify all species of native trees and shrubs on your property and how they are distributed upon the land. Be able to distinguish these from the invasive exotics such as Scotch broom and star thistle.

Identify the ‘keepers’, the large old specimen trees and shrubs that will benefit from a cleaner understory and less competition. These provide vital nesting and food sources for many species of wildlife. Be sure these are identified and a protective band respected around the drip line of each tree.

Remove the majority of smaller seedlings of woody species without disturbing the soil. Cut down to the ground, but do not dig out or drag off the stumps- these are vital to erosion control and slope stabilization. Leave behind a widely spaced pattern of older shrub specimens to ensure adequate diversity.

Remove all slash material and participate in a chipping program to render it into useful wood chips. Distribute these chips back over the soil in the cleared area to reduce runoff velocities and give seeds a place to lodge and sprout. Reseed the entire area just prior to the onset of winter rains with mixtures of annual and perennial, native wildflowers and grasses.

In the spring, use a heavy, very sharp hoe to carefully cut out any exotic and woody plants that sprout the first season. This is a one-time effort that will dramatically reduce the speed at which the woody species return. With the establishment of native perennial grasses over the coming years, the brushy species will have an increasingly difficult time competing with the dense grass root crowns.

Preserve at least 1 standing dead old tree per acre for nesting habitat.
Provide check-dams or riprap along drainage swales
Avoid disturbing vegetation within 20 feet of the edge of streams or creeks.