Identifying & Managing Invasive Species
Invasive species are non-native plants, animals, or organisms that harm local ecosystems, economies, or human health. Early detection and proper management are key to protecting our natural resources.
What is an invasive species?
Why treatment matters?
Invasive species are non-native plants, animals, or organisms that harm local ecosystems, economies, or human health. Early detection and proper management are key to protecting our natural resources.
Mason-Lake Conservation District (MLCD) Crew
About MLCD Crew
MLCD has a dedicated field crew available to assist landowners with managing invasive plants. The team handles small-scale projects, provides follow-up herbicide treatments, and helps remove aggressive shrubs such as autumn olive, russian olive, and honeysuckle. They also offer hemlock woolly adelgid treatments for a cost, continuing past grant-supported programs.
Residents can request a free project planning visit or a service quote. The crew works directly with landowners to protect forests, waterways, and wildlife habitat while providing hands-on conservation support.
Julia Place, Hunter Spencer, Bailey Watson, Adam Glendening, Seth Hunt
Autumn Olive
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A fast-growing shrub reaching up to 20 feet tall. It has bright green leaves with silver undersides, fragrant spring flowers, and clusters of red speckled berries in the fall. All parts of the plant often appear with a silver or bronze sheen.
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Originally planted for wildlife, autumn olive has proven highly invasive. It spreads quickly, shades out native plants, and alters soil nutrients, threatening prairies, savannas, and open woodlands. Birds and mammals disperse its seeds, making control difficult.
Russian Olive
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A thorny shrub or small tree that can grow up to 30 feet tall. It has loosely arranged branches, silvery-green leaves with white undersides, and small yellow flowers that bloom in early summer. Its berries provide food later in the season.
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Russian olive displaces native plants and reduces food sources needed by birds, butterflies, and other wildlife. While it produces berries, it does not support insect populations during the growing season, limiting resources critical for songbird nestlings.
Honeysuckle
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Woody shrubs 6–14 feet tall, with opposite leaves, clusters of fragrant pink, white, or red flowers in late spring, and bright red or orange berries that persist into fall. They leaf out earlier than most native plants and stay green later in the season.
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Bush honeysuckles spread aggressively, forming dense thickets that shade out native plants and prevent tree regeneration. Their berries are less nutritious for birds than native fruits and provide poor nesting cover, reducing survival for wildlife.
Hemlock Wooly Adelgid (HWA)
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HWA is a small, invasive insect that feeds on the sap of eastern hemlock trees. It appears as white, cottony masses at the base of needles, most visible from fall through early summer. Over time, infested trees lose needles, suffer branch dieback, and may die within 4–10 years if left untreated.
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Hemlocks are a foundation species that provide shade for streams, habitat for wildlife, and help prevent erosion. If HWA continues to spread, the loss of these trees could significantly alter forests and waterways, reducing biodiversity and disrupting entire ecosystems.
MLCD Crew: Who to Contact
Autumn Olive, Russian Olive & Honeysuckle
231-757-3707 ext. 5
Hemlock Wooly Adelgid
Julia Place - Project Manager
231-613-4511
For more information visit: mason-lakeconservation.org/hwa
North Country CISMA
(Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area)
The North Country Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (NCCISMA) is a regional partnership working across Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Missaukee, Osceola, and Wexford counties. Their mission is to combat invasive species through collaboration, outreach, and hands-on support. Whether it's helping landowners identify invasive plants, offering treatment advice, or providing on-site services, NCCISMA is a key resource for protecting our local landscapes.
About NCCISMA
NCCISMA's strike team can be hired at cost to control high priority invasive species on your property. This program is best suited for small infestations where it would be cost prohibitive to hire a contractor. For more information about these species or other invasives check out:
NCCISMA Strike Team For Hire
State of Michigan: https://www.michigan.gov/invasives/id-report
If you have questions or would like a quote please contact : Emily Fredricks, Invasive Species Technician NCCISIMA (231) 371-0244 or emily.fredricks@macd.org
NCCISMA - High Priority Invasive Species
Bristly Locust
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Bristly locust is a large shrub that can reach 10 feet high and 15 feet wide, bristly locust is known for its bright pink, pea-like flowers. It thrives in many types of soils and can spread quickly, forming dense thickets. These thickets displace other plants and reduce wildlife habitat.
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Cutting encourages new growth from the roots, allowing the shrub to spread quickly. All parts of the plant are mildly poisonous and can be harmful if eaten.
Garlic Mustard
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Garlic mustard is a biennial plant with a garlic odor when crushed. First-year plants form low rosettes with heart-shaped leaves, while second-year plants grow up to 3 feet tall and produce small white flowers. It spreads quickly in forests, prairies, and along roadsides.
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Garlic mustard outcompetes native plants, creating dense patches in forests and along trails. Its roots release chemicals that prevent the growth of surrounding vegetation.
Tree of Heaven
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Tree of heaven is a fast-growing tree with narrow leaves that give off a peanut butter-like smell when crushed. It thrives in a wide variety of soils and light conditions, making it highly adaptable. This tree is commonly planted in urban areas and is also found along the edges of woodlots and disturbed lands.
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Cutting or injuring tree-of-heaven triggers new shoots from the roots, allowing it to spread rapidly. A single tree may remain contained for years, then suddenly expand and dominate an area.
Eurasian Phragmites
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Eurasian phragmites is a tall grass that grows 6–13 feet high and is commonly found in wetlands, roadside ditches, and along rivers, lakeshores, and streams. It forms dense stands that dominate wetland areas, reducing plant diversity.
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This grass forms dense stands that crowd out other wetland plants. Pulling, cutting, or burning often makes it spread faster, and even small root fragments can regrow.
Oriental Bittersweet
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Oriental bittersweet is a woody vine that climbs trees and shrubs, often weighing them down or toppling them. It produces red berries with a yellow outer skin that splits open when ripe. The vine spreads rapidly in many environments, from full sun to full shade.
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This vine coils around trees and shrubs, cutting off nutrients and often killing its host. It spreads quickly, shades out other plants, and can overwhelm entire areas.
Wild Parsnip
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Wild parsnip is a biennial plant that grows as a low rosette in its first year and produces tall stalks with clusters of yellow flowers in its second year. The stalks reach 1–5 feet tall and are topped with umbrella-shaped blooms. It prefers open, sunny areas but tolerates light shade and many soil types.
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Wild parsnip sap causes skin to become highly sensitive to sunlight. Contact can result in painful rashes, blistering, and long-lasting discoloration.
Swallow-wort
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Swallow-wort, which includes both black and pale types, is a perennial vine that grows 2–6 feet tall. Black swallow-wort has dark purple to black flowers, while pale swallow-wort produces pink flowers. Both develop seedpods similar to milkweed that split open in mid-summer to release wind-borne seeds.
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Swallow-wort spreads quickly and can cover native plants, reducing biodiversity. Its seeds travel long distances, and its sap is toxic to livestock in hay and to monarch butterfly larvae.
Giant/Japanese Knotweed
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Giant and Japanese knotweed (sometimes called Michigan bamboo, though not native to the state) are shrubs that grow 3–12 feet tall with hollow, bamboo-like stems. They produce clusters of greenish-white flowers, and stalks may die back or persist through winter.
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Knotweed has deep, strong roots that can damage structures and spread quickly. Cutting or mowing does not control it and may worsen the problem, and eradication is extremely difficult once established.
European Frogbit
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European frogbit is a free-floating aquatic plant that forms thick mats with tangled underwater roots. Its round leaves resemble small water lilies, and it produces white, cup-shaped flowers with yellow spots at the base. These mats block sunlight and reduce oxygen, harming fish and native plants.
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European frogbit reproduces rapidly, forming mats that block sunlight and reduce oxygen in the water. These mats interfere with fish, waterfowl, and even boat traffic.
NCCISMA Team: Who to Contact
Zach Peklo
Program Coordinator
231-429-5072
Plant ID & management practices for non-high priority species
Emily Fredricks
Invasive Species Tech
231-371-0244
Strike team for hire, high-priority species ID and treatment advice
Michael Ramsey
Public Engagement Specialist
231-577-9479
Requesting or planning outreach and events
Do it yourself - Invasive Species Tools
The Mason-Lake Conservation District offers tools you can rent to manage invasive plants on your property. These devices make it easier for landowners to take action themselves.
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Backpack Sprayer*
A portable sprayer (holding 4-6 gallons) that helps apply herbicides or pesticides to invasive plants and insect pests. It is commonly used for treating species like autumn olive, garlic mustard, tree-of-heaven, oriental bittersweet, wild parsnip, and phragmites.
To check out how the sprayer works you can watch a demonstration here: https://youtu.be/pSRNg7p0jkE
Rental Rate: $10.00 per day
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Herbicide Injector*
A device used to inject herbicide directly into the stems of invasive plants like Japanese knotweed. This method provides targeted control while limiting impacts on surrounding vegetation. Instructions for safe use are provided with each rental.
To check out how the injector works you can watch a demonstration here: https://youtu.be/xKWk8viN5yc
Rental Rate: $22.00 / 5 days
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Uprooter
A manual tool that can help you remove small trees like autumn olive, buckthorn, or other unwanted, woody plants. This device allows the land manager to restore the landscape without the use of pesticides and heavy equipment.
To check out how the uprooter works you can watch a demonstration here: https://youtu.be/Fzw0IF2TpbM
Rental Rate: $18.00 / 5 days
*It is important to follow all safety and chemical treatment instructions on the pesticide or herbicide label, as what is written on the label is law.
If you are unsure what treatment method is best for your invasive species issue, we are happy to provide best management practice guidance. Just stop by the Conservation District Office or call 231-757-3707 ext. 5.
Need Help?
Rental Form
If you’d like to rent a tool, you can fill out our rental agreement form online or download and print it.