PLSP begins battle with evasive species

ELDORA- Pine Lake State Park personnel have begun the task of removing invasive species and restoring more natural vegetation at the state park just east of Eldora.

The main weapon in the operation is a John Deere Skid steer with a Fecon forestry cutter attachment on loan from the Southeast State Parks District.

The process starts with planning and an initial management plan, according to Pine Lake State Park Ranger Andy Place. Usually it starts with surveying the site and marking desirable plant seedlings like oaks, pines and native shrubs so that they can be seen and avoided from inside the machine.

The bulk of the work takes place during the initial removal of the invasive species, and that is where the forestry cutter comes in. The cutter allows huge amounts of the invasive plants to be cut and mulched in a short period of time. Work that would take a crew of two several days to do by hand can be done in a half-hour or less.

Read the full article in the March 7 edition of the paper.