Multiflora Rose

I guess I didn’t realize how much of another problem shrub I had in the valley until they were all in bloom last weekend. All the shrubs with white blooms are multiflora rose.

Much like the autumn olive and the honeysuckle shrubs, these were initially introduced with the best of intentions. From the US Fish and Wildlife Service: “Multiflora rose was introduced to the eastern United States in 1866 as rootstock for ornamental roses. Beginning in the 1930s, the U.S. Soil Conservation Service promoted it for use in erosion control and as "living fences" to confine livestock. State conservation departments recommended multiflora rose as cover for wildlife. More recently, multiflora rose has been planted in highway median strips to serve as crash barriers and to reduce automobile headlight glare. Its tenacious growth habit was eventually recognized as a problem on pastures and unplowed lands, where it disrupted cattle grazing, and, more recently, as a pest of natural ecosystems. It is designated a noxious weed in several states, including Iowa, Ohio, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.” (New York does not see fit to have a noxious weed list at all.)

Just one of these shrubs can produce over a million seeds. While it is a great food source and cover for wildlife, they also aid in the spread of this prolific problem. What to do? Enjoy the wildlife benefits and keep brushhogging where I can.