Scottswood Workday – Battling Buckthorn!

Olmsted Society’s March Landscape Workday – March 14, 2009

It was a sunny but cold Saturday morning. Still sixteen volunteers showed up for an Olmsted Society landscaping workday at the southern end of Scottswood Common. Mulching and buckthorn removal were the day’s big accomplishments. Two and a half truckloads of mulch were applied. An infestation of buckthorn suckers, covering over 100 square feet, was dug up and replaced with mulch. Snacks were served.

Some minor tree pruning was also accomplished. Before the pruning began Village Forester Mike Collins presented an orientation on tree pruning theory and practice. Mike started by explaining that dead, damaged, and crossing branches are easy candidates for removal. During the more detail directions Mike introduced two technical forestry terms.

First is DBH, or Diameter at Breast Height. DBH is a standard height used in forestry when measuring a tree’s trunk diameter. DBH is roughly four and a quarter feet above the ground. Foresters use the trunk diameter measurement in many calculations regarding tree growth, estimated age, volume, etc. The second term is “scaffolding branch”, which is a primary limb radiating from the trunk of a tree, from which the subordinate branch stems are attached.

If you like mulching, and hate garlic mustard, then join us April 25th for the next workday. We are back at Scottswood Commons from 9 AM to Noon. We have a patch of garlic mustard to deal with. So if you want to learn all about garlic mustard, and semi-professional coaching on how to remove it, then please join us.

To learn more at home, visit our Landscape Resource page here on the website.