Buckthorn 911 - Meet an Ecologist

Buckthorn is one of Minnesota’s most ecologically and economically damaging invasive plants. As a noxious weed that outcompetes native vegetation in woodlands, controlling buckthorn can provide a healthier woodland. A variety of chemical and non-chemical treatments are available to control buckthorn, each with varying effectiveness and costs.

Come listen to this presentation by Mark Haarman and Lee Frelich on the issue of buckthorn, why it is important to control it and the best ways they have found to control and manage buckthorn.    

Lee E. Frelich is Director of the University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology. He received a Ph.D. in Forest Ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1986. Frelich has authored more than 202 publications with 287 coauthors from 26 countries, including major works for Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press. He is listed among the top 1% of all scientists in the world in the Ecology and Environment category by the Web of Science. His research has been featured in the news media 500 times, including such venues as The New York Times, Newsweek and Washington Post. Frelich has provided consulting services on forest management for the U.S. Army, Air Force, National Forest Service, and National Park Service. Current research interests include large-scale fire and wind, earthworm invasion, and climate change in temperate and boreal forests.

Mark Haarman is a professional actor, writer, wilderness canoe guide, and launching a NewNorth stage and film production. Haarman is an environmental activist, specializing in buckthorn eradication and wilderness land ethics. Currently Mark is co-scripting with fellow actor/director Jim Stowell, a four part docu-drama series about the Quetico-Superior, “History of the Boundary Waters”. Mark is running for mayor of Ely, MN in the August primary election and producing public service announcements Buckthorn 911, the horror of it.