Controlling Invasive Species as Part of Routine Trail Maintenance, NY
Detailing the results of invasive species expansion and control in the Long Island Pine Barrens Trailhead in Manorville, NY
Quality Parks volunteer days at the Pine Barrens Trailhead in Manorville included many tasks like repainting the trail sign, power washing picnic tables, and trail maintenance. Meanwhile, invasive species once confined to disturbed patches near the trailhead expanded and now threatened nearby pine barrens habitat. Could invasive species control also become part of routine trail maintenance?
We began with improving our identification skills. One volunteer who we trained in invasive species identification has since been hired as part of an invasive species management team. Another aspect of invasive species awareness besides identification, includes taking an inventory. We eventually documented, as part of a research permit from Suffolk County Parks, the following invasive species: Japanese wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius), burning bush (Euonymus alatus), oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora), autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata).
Pictured below is the greening understory of the invasive multiflora rose. As for Marker #4, the trail interpretive publication mentioned a railroad tie amid the understory of blueberry and huckleberry bushes. Today, it's smothered by Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii). Note: We missed this invasive in our 2025 inventory listing above and now include it.
freshly painted trail sign, invasive species greenup up, trail marker needs updates, falsely point to barberry
On Sept 30, 2025, Quality Parks with an approved control permit removed Japanese wineberry from one side of the hiking trail (about 15-20 linear feet, 2-3 feet wide). We weed pulled the vine including the root, and used clippers to cut the vine into sections before bagging up the pieces into heavy plastic bags. Much of the spreading wineberry was intermixed with blueberry/huckleberry bushes. The bags were removed offsite.
Wineberry On Trail, Removing Root Stock, Striped wintergreen (post removal is featured photo on top)
Unfortunately we had one weed pull day thought the permit allowed for more. We reached out to volunteers via emails, social media, direct messaging, and phone calling, but were unable to build up a volunteer team as we had done in prior years. However, we consider the project successful in furthering the cause of training, monitoring, and controlling invasive species as part of routine trail maintenance.
2024 volunteers on our spruce up days