Management of natural areas primarily focuses on control of invasive and weedy plants to enhance native plant regeneration. Natural areas are managed with a variety of tools including prescribed burning and mowing.
Priority areas for natural areas management are:
- Native plant communities with good ecological quality.
- Park lands that were planted as part of park redesign with native plants.
Learn more about the history and current management efforts for the Managed Natural Areas in our Managed Natural Areas Storymap.
Invasive Species Control
Invasive species control is a large part of natural areas management. Invasive plants suppress native plant growth and abundance, degrade wildlife habitat and reduce the ability of an ecosystem to recover from disturbances and environmental changes.
Why is there so much buckthorn?
Buckthorn was frequently planted as an ornamental hedge and can still be found today in many Minneapolis neighborhoods. The fruits of buckthorn are spread by birds, moving buckthorn seeds from residential properties into park lands.
What you can do to help control buckthorn
Learn about Invasive Species
Buckthorn isn’t the only invasive species we work to control in our parks. Learn more about invasive species found in park lands and waters on the invasive species section of our website.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is a good source of information on invasive species found in the state of Minnesota and their impact on land and water resources.
Replace buckthorn with native shrubs
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has listed buckthorn on their Noxious Weed list as a “restricted” noxious weed. This means buckthorn can no longer be planted or sold in Minnesota nurseries. Property owners are not required to remove buckthorn from their property.
Removing buckthorn from residential properties helps park natural areas. Replacing buckthorn with native plants provides better food for pollinators and wildlife. There are several local nurseries that sell native plants for landscaping.