Resident details volunteer invasive-plant removal on Farmington River Trail; committee agrees to add invasives to public-education work

A Farmington resident who identified herself as Mary told the Town of Farmington Green Efforts Committee on June 2 that she and her husband have been removing invasive plants along a portion of the Farmington River Trail near Depot Place and Route 177 and want to replace them with native plants to restore biodiversity.

"They become kind of bullies or thugs of the plant world," Mary said of invasive species, describing how nonnative plants such as mugwort, Asiatic bittersweet and Japanese knotweed can overtake native habitat. She said her team is using tarps and smothering techniques, cutting and pulling, and planting native perennials and grasses after removal.

Mary described the project as a Master Gardener community-outreach effort and said the town is holding two grants that reimburse project expenses. She said she applied for four grants this year and received two; she also reported volunteers and local students growing native plants for future plantings.

Why it matters: committee members said invasives reduce the native plant and animal food web and can affect property values and local ecosystem function. The Farmington River Trail is used by many residents and visitors, making it a high-visibility location for stewardship and education.

Committee response and next steps

Committee members discussed tactics (black plastic tarping to "bake" plants, long-term smothering of persistent species, and the trade-offs between fresh wood chips and mixed-source mulch). Members raised concerns that donated wood chips may contain seeds or fragments of other invasive species and noted that some techniques require sustained follow-up over a year or more.

The committee agreed to add "invasives" to the group's public-education goals so Mary can offer walks, a library presentation and social-media materials. Several members volunteered to help in the field; Mary said her group has cleared roughly 1,500 feet of trail in the project area and will continue to seek grants and volunteers.

Quotes and attribution

"Once you smother it and keep it under that for a year and a half or two years ... then for the monoculture of it where that's really the only thing that's growing that should take care of it," Mary said, describing the smothering method she is using on large patches of mugwort.

Garnered resources and partnerships

Mary named Master Gardeners and local school students as partners helping grow native plants for planting, and she said similar conservation efforts are underway in neighboring towns including Simsbury, Cheshire and South Windsor. She also said she intends to document plant observations on iNaturalist to engage the community and track pollinators and other wildlife.

What the committee will do next

Members directed staff and volunteers to include invasive-plant outreach in the public-education plan for the coming year, to consider a fall walk that showcases native plantings, and to help Mary recruit volunteers and connect with Master Gardeners and local schools. The committee did not adopt a formal ordinance or grant authority; it added invasives to its education agenda and will follow up with specific event planning.