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Submitted photo. Georgia ForestWatch Board members volunteer to remove 300 pounds of invasive plants and trash before many spring wildflowers emerge at the Warwoman Dell recreation area just outside Clayton. -
Submitted photo. Georgia ForestWatch Board members volunteer to remove 300 pounds of invasive plants and trash before many spring wildflowers emerge at the Warwoman Dell recreation area just outside Clayton.
CLAYTON -- Volunteers returned to Warwoman Dell on Friday, Jan. 20, to remove 300 pounds of invasive plants and trash before many spring wildflowers emerge.
English ivy had spread through the national forest from the beloved Warwoman Dell recreation area just outside of Clayton.
This non-native and invasive vine was historically planted as erosion control, but we have since learned it can outcompete native plant habitats without natural checks and balances.
Warwoman Dell is a convenient access point for some of the best hiking trails in the county and certainly has some wonderful native plants worth protecting.
Georgia ForestWatch Board members came together in late 2019, saying, “enough is enough; we need to do something about this!”
In partnership with the Chattooga River Ranger District and Blue Ridge Bartram Trail Conservancy, ForestWatch volunteers have rolled up their sleeves and manually removed English ivy by hand.
Truckloads of vines have been removed over the years. The area now only requires a quick revisit every year to minimize chemical applications and protect our forest from a plant known for its adverse effects on acres of our national forest.
“This place is special to me and being able to come back here to enjoy the wildflowers, knowing we helped stop the English ivy from taking over our public lands, is very satisfying,” said Melanie Vickers, Georgia ForestWatch board member, volunteer, and Rabun County resident. Georgia ForestWatch (GAFW) is a nonpartisan, grassroots, nonprofit membership organization that exists to preserve, protect, and advocate on behalf of Georgia’s national forest.
The GAFW mission is to enhance the health of more than 867,000 acres of Georgia’s national forest by protecting our forests and streams, advocating for natural processes, and identifying opportunities to improve forest management.