Ashley Community Forest schedules invasive-plant information day; board calls mechanical pulling insufficient

The Ashley Community Forest Board scheduled an Invasive Plant Information Day on May 16, 2026 with RedStart participating for a three-hour program covering the effects of invasives, possible treatments and hands-on tool practice. The meeting record describes the session broken into an educational first hour, a second hour on potential treatments and a third hour for tool demonstrations and practice.

Board members discussed past mechanical removal efforts. "Our efforts at mechanical pulling of invasives have been effective, but not at a large enough scale, given the amount of invasives present, particularly barberry in the Southern end of the forest," the minutes state. The board discussed coordinating the event with the Sharon and Strafford conservation commissions and creating informational handouts for attendees.