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, 4 e of one to two years.Girdling should be done in late spring to mid-summer when sap is flowing and the bark easily peels away from the sapwood. Herbicide can also be used in combination with girdling for a more effective treatment.Girdling has the added benefit of creating snags for wildlife habitat.While girdling a large number of trees is not feasible,girdling the occasional large tree will provide a matrix of habitat for species that depend on standing dead trees for food or nesting opportunities. Mechanical Control Three mechanical methods for woody plant removal are hand pulling (only useful on small seedlings and only if few in number),weed wrenching (using a weed wrench tool to pull stems of one to two inches diameter),and repeated or"critical" cutting.Pulling and weed wrenching can be done any time when the soil is moist and not frozen.The disadvantage to both methods is that they are somewhat time- consuming,as the soil from each stem should be shaken off.Weed wrenching also creates a great deal of soil disturbance and should not be used on steep slopes or anywhere that desirable native forbs are growing.The soil disturbance also creates opportunities for colonization by other non-native plants.This method is the least preferable and is probably best used in areas that have hardly any desirable native plant cover. Repeated cutting consists of cutting the plants (by hand or with a brush cutter) at critical stages in its growth cycle,typically twice per growing season. Cutting in mid spring(late May) intercepts the flow of nutrients from the roots to the leaves and cutting in fall (about mid-October) intercepts the flow of nutrients from the leaves to the roots. Depending on the size of the stem,the plants typically die within three years,with two cuttings per year. Prescribed Fire Prescribed burning is the most efficient, cost effective,and least harmful way to control very small stems,seedlings,and resprouts of all woody plants. It also restores an important natural process to fire-dependant natural communities (oak forests,for example). Burning can only be accomplished if adequate fuel (leaf litter) is present and can be done in late fall or early spring, depending on site conditions. Native Shrubs Prickly Ash A common native shrub,prickly ash can become excessively abundant,especially in areas that have been disturbed or grazed. Complete eradication may not be necessary,but management may target reducing the extent of a population. Removal is most easily accomplished in the same manner as for buckthorn-cutting shrubs and treating cut stumps with glyphosate herbicide. Cutting can be completed at any time of the year. Friends of the Mississippi River Bailey Point Nature Preserve NRMP 77