What to plant after removing buckthorn

[nbadger23]

I've got about 5 acres that I hunt on by my house and the "woods" is overrun with buckthorn. I've slowly been eradicating it, via either pulling it and it's roots out or cutting and treating the stumps but I hope to make a much bigger push on it this year. My concern is what to plant after I've removed it as there will literally be nothing left for undergrowth. I will have mature cottonwood, oak, and hickory trees left but the buckthorn has choked out almost all the undergrowth.

I'd prefer to try to plant native plants but also focus on habitat that will attract deer and turkey. I was also wondering there would be any assistance available from the county or state in regards to advice and/or discounted seedlings/plants. Or is the DNR a better place to start with this?

[leechlake]

guy I know is a buckthorn removing fanatic, he even made a HSOforum about it, here's an excerpt:

Replanting – Native grasses, shrubs, wildflowers, trees – Once buckthorn is removed, the forest canopy is opened and more light reaches the soil, causing more weed seed germination. What typically germinates first are noxious weeds such as buckthorn, garlic mustard, motherwort, burdock, poison ivy, etc. New plantings will shade the soil and reduce germination of noxious weeds. Monitor your woodland for a secondary invasion of other noxious weeds and suppress all new invaders. Protect new plantings from deer and rabbits, which do not eat toxic buckthorn and will prefer the new plantings.

I'd plant some oats with wildflower seeds or the wildflower seeds after the oats have shaded everything out. Oats look cool while they are alive.

[smsmith]

There's a reason the buckthorn took over. Likely because the canopy is too thick to allow native species to get started and compete. Open the canopy so some light hits the forest floor...and be prepared for the influx of other, less than desirable species to flourish right off the bat as previously stated ^^^

Buckthorn control and elimination is likely a lifetime battle