Tennessee Department of Agriculture Supports Invasive Species Management at Reflection Riding

We are very excited to announce that we have received an Invasive Species Removal Grant from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture! This grant will allow us to tackle managing a four-acre area on our campus overgrown with invasive species—particularly Fragrant Honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima). Matched by Reflection Riding, it will cover all the expenses of the project, including equipment, supplies, and the hiring of new Native Landscape Apprentices. We are incredibly grateful to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture - Division of Forestry and the USDA Forest Service - Southern Region for this funding—it is crucial to our ability to carry out Reflection Riding’s goal to steward a healthy native ecology on our land. 

In time, Reflection Riding aims to be able to actively manage our entire 300-acre property for invasive plant species. Currently, we manage about 80% of our property. For example, our entire trail system is managed for various invasive species, such as Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum). The funding from this grant will enable us to expand this work into another four acres— increasing more than 1% of our total land area. 

Though the area in question is at the northern end of our campus not far from the Visitor’s Center, it hasn’t been tackled by our native landscape team before because access is difficult. Located on the side of Lookout Mountain in a ravine with rough terrain, the area is only accessible by foot. Because it also abuts National Parks property, we will be working closely with the National Park Service in this effort.

Above you can see the Fragrant Honeysuckle slowly taking over the impacted four-acre area.

Most of the four-acre area is covered with Fragrant Honeysuckle—a very early flowering, non-native shrub. Like many of the invasive honeysuckle species in this region, this plant has a survivability advantage over native species because it produces seeds so early in the growing season. Unfortunately, it can also spread from being sold at commercial nurseries. To learn more about invasive honeysuckles (and avoid mistaking them for native lookalike species), check out our Invasive Honeysuckle Fact Sheet. 

Another invasive that has run rampant in this area is Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)—a woody, deciduous, and invasive vine. Commercial nurseries sell this plant because people like to use it for decoration, centerpieces, and holiday wreaths. Oftentimes, following use it gets tossed in the yard and then it spreads quickly. Birds eat the berries and spread the Oriental Bittersweet far and wide. It often can grow into dense, smothering thickets of small vines, though some mature plants in this area have vines at least 40 years old with a diameter of more than four inches. Check out our Oriental Bittersweet Fact Sheet to learn how to identify this pernicious invasive. 

Much of this project will be handled by our Native Landscape Apprentices working alongside trained volunteers. They will be assessing the area, then using methods such as cut stump treatments and controlled fire to eradicate the invasives and keep them from returning. 

We already have our first Native Landscape Apprentice working on the project this summer: meet Sarah Jane!

“My name is Sarah Jane, or SJ! I’m currently finishing up my last semester of college at UTC with a degree in Sports, Outdoor Recreation, and Tourism Management. I have been an apprentice with Reflection Riding since January 2023, and am so excited to start my new position with land conservation management!”

As the project continues, we plan to hire more Native Landscape Apprentices to join Sarah. We will have to regularly maintain the area to prevent recolonization in successive years, so this will be an ongoing project until the invasive species are completely eradicated. 

This won’t be the first invasive species removal project of this scale that Reflection Riding has taken on. The area between our main parking and the native wildlife area across to Lookout Creek—about 12 acres total—was once an impenetrable forest of Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense). In 2017, our Land Conservation team worked to reclaim that land, which today is actively managed and offers a habitat where native plants and trees are thriving! And again, in 2020 and 2021, our Land Conservation team began to clear out and actively manage the five-acre area at the north end of the property that became our Nature Playscape. In all these efforts, we have our amazing volunteers and community partners to thank for so much of the work that gets done!

We are really excited to get moving on this project and bring back the native biodiversity to this bit of property! Again, a huge thank you to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture for supporting our work with this grant!

This project is funded under a Grant Contract with the State of Tennessee.