A $200,000 state-funded effort to remove buckthorn and other invasive woody plants is underway at Innsbruck Nature Center in Fridley, building on volunteer work that began several years ago and launching a multiyear restoration of the 22-acre site.
City Parks and Recreation Director Mike Maher said during an April 8 guided tour that the larger project grew out of concerns first raised about three years ago by Julie Wellman and Maija and Frank Sedzielarz, who noticed heavy buckthorn growth in the park.
Maher said volunteers first tackled the problem on a small scale, helping clear invasive plants and draw attention to the condition of the site.
“And I just want to say, the larger project that we have here never would have happened if it hadn’t been for the inspiration that all of you as volunteers … provided, providing that reminder that, hey, this park’s important, we care about it,” Maher said.
The project is funded by the State of Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Fund and is being carried out in partnership with Great River Greening, which will oversee implementation. Maher said the work will continue through 2029.
The main goal is to remove woody invasive species, primarily buckthorn, which accounts for about 95% of what is being targeted in the park.
Maher described buckthorn as a shrub or small tree introduced from Europe about 100 years ago for use as a hedge between properties. Once it spread into wooded areas, he said, it began crowding out native plant life.
“When it grows like that really close together, has leaves out a lot of the time, it basically creates a shade umbrella that doesn’t allow additional sunlight to get down to the forest floor,” Maher said. “So what you see is diversity in the forest disappears.”
Maher said female buckthorn plants also produce berries that birds eat and spread elsewhere, and that seeds can remain viable for several years even after removal.
“It’s really a hard thing to get rid of,” Maher said.