My name is Gary Wilson. I have lived next to the Root River State Trail since it was built in 1998. I remember attending hearings where the public was allowed to provide input on extending the trail from Rushford to Houston. I remember being the very first person to use a short section of the trail for running right after the packer finished. And yes it was still hot!

Over the years I have watched the slow invasion of cedar trees, buckthorn, honeysuckle and vines into the bike trail corridor. The Cushon's Peak Campground corner is a prime example. The DNR used to burn the corner to control invasive species. Unfortunately that hasn’t been done for years. The result was a slow honeysuckle infestation that crowded out everything until spring 2023 when my wife Anita and I cut all the honeysuckle and treated stumps with Tordon. I also sprayed the Wild Parsnip that was creeping into the remaining open areas. Now it is once again a vibrant pollinator plot free of invasive honeysuckle and wild parsnip.

After clearing buckthorn from my own property in 2021 the next step was to expand the cleared area to surrounding properties which include the bike trail. None of my neighbors have a problem with me cutting and killing buckthorn on their property except the DNR. Birds love to eat, carry and deposit the seeds so reducing buckthorn in surrounding properties is in everyone’s best interest including the DNR. While the DNR does not approve of my work every biker I talked to said “Thank you!”.

I have included two links below for property owners who might benefit from my experience. The buckthorn link presents a variety of ways to deal with buckthorn. From a machine intensive forestry Bobcat to a Stihl with a Forester Brush Cutter blade to a simple hand held chain saw the goal is the same. Kill it! I have found the cheapest and most efficient way to attack buckthorn thickets is with a hand chain saw in one hand and a Tordon applicator in the other. Cutting at a height of two feet I can easily cut and kill a lot trees. This method works best where the only goal is to kill it without having to pile and burn. A handlebar weed eater with a Forester Brush Cutter blade can also cut a lot of trees quickly at a height of 1 to 2 inches. Not treating stumps however does require spraying regrowth.

The cedar tree link shows a spring 2023 pasture reclamation project where cedar trees were cut, piled and burned. This cut, pile and burn process has been applied to almost a hundred cedar trees in pastures over the past several years. The same cut and pile process was applied to invasive cedars, approved for cutting, along the bike trail just west of Houston. Cutting and piling cedar trees when they are small is definitely the best strategy!

I would like to hear your comments on Root River State Trail maintenance so please send an email to gmw@acegroup.cc .