Скачать или смотреть Saving a Tree from Invasive Oriental Bittersweet Vine!

Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is an invasive, woody vine found in the Eastern US. Native to Asia, Oriental Bittersweet was brought over to the US in the late 1800s for garden aesthetics. The plant is very invasive and destructive to disturbed areas and trees.

At my local park, I found a ~16 year old Bittersweet vine that was shading out and suffocating a mature Spruce tree. Using hand pruners and a hand saw, I cut the vine to save the tree. If left undisturbed, Bittersweet vine will shade out and eventually kill a tree. I will paint the remaining stumps with an herbicide to kill the roots and prevent it from re-sprouting.

In some areas, American Bittersweet occurs in sympatry with the invasive Oriental Bittersweet. American Bittersweet is also considered endangered in some areas, so it is imperative to positively ID the plant before you remove it. In the Philadelphia area, American Bittersweet is considerably rare, and it's safe to assume that any wild bittersweet vine one comes across is the invasive Oriental Bittersweet.

Generally speaking, a mature tree is much more valuable to an ecosystem than a native or non-native vine. I usually cut vines off of native mature trees to improve their growth and allow them to serve the ecosystem to their full potential. Sometimes it may be worth it to leave native vines like Grape vines (Vitis) and Honeysuckle. Always remove invasive / non-native vines, if possible.