Carpenter Farm Park

Restoration at Carpenter Farm Park Huntington, NY

J. McLaughlin
J. McLaughlin

2022 Progress Report

Several acres recently discovered at Carpenter Farm Park that are closed to the public have been invaded by vines, covering trees and shrubs, pulling them down and killing many.  The main culprit is the invasive porcelain-berry vine, Ampelopsis brevipedunculata.  View an advanced infestation in a Cincinnati, Ohio, park.

(Be sure to follow all the links.)

Porcelain-berry covers small trees and shrubs in foreground – 7/4/22
Close-up of porcelain-berry mounds – 7/4/22
Other views of porcelain-berry mounds – 7/4/22
Again, more porcelain-berry mounds – 7/4/22
While the lower half of this 40 foot tree was covered by porcelain-berries, many other smaller trees were hidden beneath the vines – 7/4/22

The pictures above are samples of a significant porcelain-berry invasion covering several acres, but the vines are also spreading throughout the rest of the park and into the local community.

Starting July 4, 2022, I hand pulled and cut the vines on average of 4 hours/day, weather permitting.  The following photos testify to the benefits of removing porcelain-berry vines, such as the emerging native pokeweed, which will feed birds and other wildlife:

The area up to the 40 foot black locust tree with piles of vine cuttings in the foreground – 7/25/22
The area approaching the locust tree now harbors young native pokeweed – 10/15/22
Downed tree covered with dead vines cut at the ground and 2 native pokeweed shrubs that emerged spontaneously after vine removal – 7/19/22
Row of native pokeweed as the dominant shrub – 10/19/22
View of the work-in-process restoration – 10/19/22

My next step while the soil is damp in late winter and early spring,  is to dig out the root crowns along with their lateral roots just beneath the surface.  Watch the following video recorded on October 22, 2022 to see how I do it. For another experiment I’ll cover other areas with tarps to determine if depriving light for an extended period of time is enough to kill the roots.

As the open ground warms and the seed bank from years of berries germinates, I’ll pull out the small seedlings (see porcelain-berry removal) to allow the bank of native pokeweed seeds to grow.

For more information on removing this vine: Click porcelain-berry removal and read my porcelain-berry invasive article.

Julie Sullivan