Page 20 - Georgia Forestry - Issue 3 - Summer 2022

Invasion of the FOREST SNATCHERS
TRIFOLIATE ORANGE
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an a thick patch of the invasive species trifoliate orange.
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COURTESY OF GEORGIA FORESTRY COMMISSION
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G eorgia’s forestland is known for its beauty and diversity, and one of the most fun ways to enjoy it is from the seat of a rugged utility vehicle. From that vantage point, one can check up on flourishing seedlings, meander through swishing food plots, or... come to a dead stop. And few obstacles bring outings to a halt more quickly
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“It’s everywhere,” said landowner Gray McWhirter. “Worse than privet, and
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prevents full use of the land.” McWhirter and Georgia Forestry Commission
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“Trifoliate orange thorns can flatten tractor tires,” said Kastle, “and it’s hard to get a skid steer in here. It’s got a big root ball, so that’s slow work.”
Kastle added that this area’s prior use for dairy farming has made the situation worse. The plant bears orange fruit that cows enjoy and birds spread. The resulting thickets are as formidable as a prison wall, or worse. He said hunters have been known to retrieve fallen deer from these patches and emerge with thorn slashes that go deep and draw blood — some requiring stitches!
FC) Management Forester Jeffff Kastle have been battling the thick and thorny masses on McWhirter’s 162-acre Morgan County property for some time. Last August, they employed a forestry mulcher to grind down a sizable patch of it in a hardwood bottom, as it had reappeared after a previous herbicide treatment. The following April, an inspection showed a smattering of tenacious sprouts had taken hold once again.
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18 | GEORGIA FORESTRY
By Stasia Kelly