Invasive Plant Removal at County Road Meadows

The Fenner Field is a small (4 acre) field that was donated to the Land Trust in the early ’90’s. and managed as a hay-field ever since. As often happens with such management, invasive plants (like multiflora rose and autumn olive) establish themselves along the field edges and degrade the quality of the hay from that region of the field. The farmer then stops mowing the area, and the field perimeter is then lost to these unwelcome plants. After thirty years, the Land Trust has ‘pushed back’ and begun recovering the field edge with heavy equipment. This work party will continue where this equipment left off: trimming the battered trunks and clearing plants back to the fence lines where the machines couldn’t reach. This will be both chainsaw and hand tool work, along with hauling and piling brush and application of herbicide to the freshly cut stumps … so there’s lots of work for a wide range of volunteers. And the more people we have, the more we’ll accomplish. Dress warmly, and bring the tools you plan to use. The field entrance is very close to where (very short) Church Road intersects with County Road … this is just east of the Long Hill/County Road intersection. Parking is along Church Road and be mindful not to block traffic along this town road. [est 3 – 4 hours]

Rain or significant snow will usually cancel any of these work parties, so if you have questions about the schedule, please feel free to contact me stewardship@guilfordlandtrust.org or Paul Proulx pauljproulx@comcast.net on the morning of each event. We’ll also announce cancellations or schedule changes by email, so it’s a good idea to check your mail before you leave the house. Paul also carries his cell phone (203-687-7756) on these events, so if you’re late and want people to wait, give him a call.