Welcome to Buckthorn Project

   The Buckthorn Project was conceived in 1996 by a group of volunteers concerned about the disappearing native plant species in Wisconsin. 

We provide information about invasive plants and perform control research on private lands in Wisconsin. 

   Control on private lands consists of plant removal and spot herbicide treatments. We also research the best control herbicides and alternatives to chemical controls.

   Our focus is invasive plant species on small private lands. In 2009, we decided to redirect our efforts to focus on one type of invasive plant, the Buckthorn, both common (Rhamnus cathartica) and glossy (Rhamnus frangula). This redirection was mainly due to the rapid increase of the buckthorn plants on public and private areas in the State of Wisconsin. 

   We officially filed and completed the Articles of Incorporation – Nonstock Corporation in Wisconsin as of December 18, 2012. The corporation's name on file is Buckthorn Project Inc. We have also filed for 501(c) status with the Internal Revenue Service and have an Employer Identification Number. The IRS officially granted Buckthorn Project Inc. Federal tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) on June 11, 2014.

   The Organization’s chief operations officer in March 2014 became a Certified and Licensed Commercial Pesticide Applicator Category 6.0 (Right of Way & Nature Areas) through the State of Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, trade and Consumer Protection. 

For thousands of years, native plants have adapted and developed together in the unique climate, soil, and environmental conditions in Wisconsin and other areas. Native plants, birds, insects, and wildlife in general also adapted to the environmental conditions of these areas to form balanced ecosystems. Within the ecosystem, wildlife species rely on the native plants for food, shelter, and a reproductive environment. All species play critical roles in the continued life of the balanced ecosystem.

 When non-native, invasive plants like Buckthorn infest a natural area or environment they consume and destroy the space intended for native plants and wildlife as such, buckthorn is an invasive plant which is defined as a plant not native to the ecosystem and causes economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. Buckthorn plants are extremely aggressive and completely replace the native shrub layer or understory that grows beneath the mature trees in the forest. Buckthorn plants have caused serious ecological and economic threats to Wisconsin’s forest resources, including tree mortality, reduction in growth, poor regeneration, and damage to wildlife areas. Each year areas of Wisconsin’s private and public lands are overtaken by Buckthorn plants.