Scrub Hub: Where can Hoosiers get help identifying, eradicating invasive plants?
Tree of heaven. Honeysuckle. White mulberry. They all have innocuous sounding names, but they share the common thread of being invasive plant species in Indiana.
Hoosiers are likely to find these and other invasive plants growing on their property. Many property owners may be unaware these interlopers lurk on their land, but they can be detrimental to native species that make up and bolster Indiana’s biodiversity.
Removing invasives can be cumbersome, and many people don't have a clue where to begin, so for this edition of Scrub Hub, we spoke with an expert to find an answer to your question: Where can Hoosiers find help with the removal of invasive plant species on privately owned land?
Statewide nonprofit helps survey and plan invasive plant removal
The State of Indiana Cooperative Invasives Management, SICIM for short, is a statewide nonprofit organization that helps run local and regional programs for Hoosiers considering invasive plant removal.
SICIM’s executive director, Stephanie Schuck, said one thing she has learned in her work is that people want to know what to do but find if overwhelming.
“It’s hard for us too, and we do it for a living,” Schuck said. “So I get it, I understand.”
SICIM is an innovative program exclusive to Indiana, and it’s designed to help property owners learn where to start. The program runs on grants and donations and covers counties across Indiana, offering a survey of a property's plants at no charge.
“We’ll do a walk-and-talk with the owner and create a management plan for the invasives they have and then give them the info they need to remove them,” Schuck said.
The plan helps land owner prioritize what needs to be done first based on their resources. Anyone interested in acquiring an invasive management plan can head to SICIM’s website, find out who the regional specialist is covering their area and reach out.
Cooperative management areas lend assistance
Along with invasive surveys, SICIM’s regional specialist help organize Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas that are volunteer, grassroots efforts to help eradicate non-native plants. These co-ops work with local landowners and groups to raise awareness about what plants are invasive, how to remove them and what resources are available to Hoosiers.
The co-op program is relatively new to SICIM, so regional groups don’t all have the same resources. Some do offer invasive buyback programs where a homeowner can provide proof of invasive removal and receive a native plant for the effort.
The existing programs don’t offer much else in the way of funding for invasive removals, but there are options available. Local Soil and Water Conservation Districts can put landowners in touch with a Natural Resources Conservation Service staffer to see if they are eligible for a federal grant.
“Those are usually for folks that have larger tracts of land, which could be as little as 10 acres, but they can help the landowner decide if they could qualify for funding and how to help them apply,” Schuck said.
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If landowners do have a budget for removing invasive plants, SICIM also offers a vetted list of contractors on its website. It’s not an extensive list, but Schuck said each one listed knows how to properly kill invasives.
SICIM also offers "weed wrangles" at public lands, including state and local parks. These are a great opportunity for residents to learn how to identify invasive plants and the best way to remove them.
Schuck also suggested a tool called EDDMapS, which helps track where invasive plants are growing in the state. The learning tool also helps professionals who can’t have eyes everywhere.
“There are several species we don’t have in Indiana yet that if they get reported, red flags go up and we can make sure it is or isn’t invasive,” Schuck said. “That helps to make sure we have early detection and are getting them before turning into something (pernicious) like bush honeysuckle.”
Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at karl.schneider@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @karlstartswithk
IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Scrub Hub: What invasive plant removal help is available in Indiana?
