Pull, mow, burn and spray.
These are a few of the ways Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) manages invasive plant species. In the Prairies, conservation specialists have added another tool in their kit: grazing. 聽
Prairie grasslands provide ducks, like pintails, with important plant cover for nesting. While these waterfowl aren鈥檛 equipped to stop the spread of invasive plants, the hoofed animals they share this landscape with are.
鈥淟ivestock are a natural ally,鈥� says DUC conservation specialist Jodie Horvath. That鈥檚 why, in Alberta and Saskatchewan, DUC and its partners release cattle and goats onto grasslands to help combat destructive, invasive plants through grazing.
Touchwood Hills Conservation Ranch, Sask.聽 聽
Each spring, cattle are pastured at DUC鈥檚 Touchwood Hills Conservation Ranch, near Yorkton, Sask., as part of an integrated management plan.
Here, heifers and cow-calf pairs eat, trample, and expose invasive plants. 鈥淚n cases where [they] won鈥檛 eat the problematic plant, what they do is eat the grass around it, which makes it easier for us to spot,鈥� says Horvath.
By doing what they naturally do, cattle are helping manage tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), common burdock (Arctium minus) and absinthe (Artemisia absinthium).
鈥淕razing cattle is key to maintaining the production and longevity of grasslands. This productive nesting habitat has a better chance at competing with the undesirable weed species,鈥� says Horvath.
Frank Lake, Alta.
While the 鈥渕oo crew鈥� may forgo eating invasive weeds in favour of native prairie grasses, in Alberta goats are diving headfirst into leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.) at DUC鈥檚 Frank Lake project, 50 kilometres southeast of Calgary.
Likely introduced to Canada in a bag of contaminated seed, invasive leafy spurge releases toxins into the soil where it grows, which prevents other plants from taking root. It also impacts the land鈥檚 capacity to hold water. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a problematic weed,鈥� says DUC conservation specialist, Ashley Rawluk.
Fortunately, goats love it. 鈥淭hey eat it like it鈥檚 candy,鈥� she says.聽 This year, Rawluk says she plans to have goats released onto grasslands at Frank Lake on three separate occasions. While small improvements can be noted after goats have been in the field, 鈥渋t will take several years before we see the full benefits of their grazing,鈥� says Rawluk.
In the meantime, both Rawluk and Horvath celebrate the fact that the domestic animals who rely on this prairie landscape can be part of the solution. 鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a real push to find natural solutions to managing invasive species,鈥� says Rawluk. 鈥淎nd what鈥檚 more natural than a goat grazing?鈥� she asks.
