Research Brief: U of M researchers uproot decades of buckthorn management practices

According to new research from the University of Minnesota, buckthorn managers have long overestimated the plant, and in doing so, have given the invasive tree a significant advantage in spreading widely and pushing native species out of woodlands and forests throughout eastern North America.

In their recently published article in the journal Biological Invasions, the research team explains how the often-discussed timeline of buckthorn growing from seed didn’t match what they or any of their collaborators across Minnesota saw in nature. This research was funded by the Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center (MITPPC), supported by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). The lead author is Michael Schuster, a researcher in the ​​Department of Forest Resources. Read the full brief.