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TWO OWLS FARM
Methods
One of the most interesting choices we face is how to implement projects. Scale matters: what works in a garden-size plot may be too labor-intensive for a full pasture. Impact on soils matters--use herbicides? heavy equipment?--but time and costs are also key factors. Here are some possibilities. While not featured, using herbicides in a targeted way may be the most practical for some species, like Autumn Olive.
Smothering
Smothering with woven landscape fabric, plastic sheeting or cardboard is one way to remove medium-sized sections of existing vegetation. This makes most sense if we have a small-to-medium-sized plot. The biggest plus of this method is retaining the soil's native microbial community to maximize planting success.
Hand-Weeding
While labor-intensive, there is nothing as simple or satisfying as hand-weeding. We will use this method for one-off small projects (a woodland glade, a creekside bank patch), and probably addressed initially to Japanese Stiltgrass. Weeding at the right time (before seed set) and popping in the replacement natives will be key to prevent the reemergence of invasive species.
Rent-A-Goat
Since we're saying farewell to cattle, there is a world in which we deploy caprines to do flash grazing. This will depend on whether we can find a herd to rent, and which plots of land are best suited for this approach.