The Cool Down
Expert issues warning about overlooked threat in public parks: 'So important'
One gardener used their platform to highlight the dangers of letting invasive species overtake public land.
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Forester Warns: Unmanaged Public Lands Face Invasive Species Crisis
A recent video from forester and conservationist Kyle Lybarger highlights a critical issue facing public lands: the unchecked spread of invasive species due to inadequate forest management. Lybarger, known as @nativeplanttok on social media, demonstrates how mature timber, left unmanaged and without prescribed fire, becomes susceptible to windstorms. When these large trees fall, the resulting open canopy and lack of intervention create ideal conditions for invasive plants such as privet, nandina, and mahonia to dominate. "This is what happens on public land when you have big mature timber that you aren't managing, you aren't using fire," Lybarger states in the video. He points to dense thickets of invasive plants, noting their proximity to fallen native trees. "Because it's closed canopy, there hasn't been sunlight getting to the ground allowing the native trees to naturally regenerate. This is what fills in: privet, nandina, and mahonia." Lybarger criticizes the current "hands-off preservationist approach," arguing it sets ecosystems up to fail. He emphasizes that native trees are not regenerating because necessary disturbances like fire have been removed, and invasive species introduced by humans are left untreated. "What is this place going to look like when my grandkids are my age?" he asks, urging the public to speak up if similar issues are observed on public land near them. The video underscores the urgent need for active management strategies, including prescribed burns and invasive species removal, to ensure the health and regeneration of native forest ecosystems.
