Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii) was originally introduced to the United States as an ornamental plant primarily used in botanical gardens and landscape design. The shrub produces bright-red berries, which birds consume, resulting in widespread seed dispersal. Barberry also spreads through root creepers and—in our experience—tends to grow in dense thickets. Originally introduced in 1875, the shrub can now be found throughout the East and has spread as far west as Montana. For this project we are targeting an area of high-density barberry that has choked out native understory growth, particularly ferns, blueberry, and oak seedlings.
As of now, our primary method of management has been manual pulling. Although they lack depth, the shrub’s root system is tough and plants that cannot be pulled by hand are ripped out using a winch system. For a few plants a standard come-a-long could be utilized. But since we were dealing with an extensive impacted area we needed to find a more efficient system of removal. That system is comprised of 3/4 ton rope puller with a 1/2" rope and several tow straps (see below video clip). This system allowed us to adjust more quickly to hooking into a new shrub after pulling one out. After a rain the shrubs pulled easier and sometimes by using only a digging bar. When using the winch system a minimum of two were necessary, but three personnel was ideal.
From a worker’s perspective, Japanese Barberry is probably the most frustrating invasive targeted in this project. The stems of the shrub are covered in hundreds of spiny thorns that easily break off into the skin. Also, scientists Jeffery Ward and Scott Williams with the Connecticut Agriculture and Experiment Station have found a positive correlation between Japanese Barberry and ticks carrying Lyme Disease. In the future, we plan on experimenting using livestock grazing and controlled stem burning as methods of barberry management.
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