News with a little more humanity<\/p>\n
WPR\u2019s \u201cWisconsin Today\u201d newsletter keeps you connected to the state you love without feeling overwhelmed. No paywall. No agenda. No corporate filter.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause just like buckthorn (and, let\u2019s be honest, some exes) if you don\u2019t deal with it properly, it tends to come back.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"Person](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/631017820_1318332113662909_46235.jpg\")
Volunteer treats invasive buckthorn tree stump with poison. Source: Waukesha County Land Conservancy<\/p>\n
Saturday morning around 20 volunteers will work to raze 7 acres filled with thousands of thorny buckthorn, some 30 feet tall, at the Eagle Center Prairie State Natural Area.<\/p>\n
The nonprofit land trust protects and cares for \u201cenvironmentally significant\u201d land in southern Wisconsin. Part of that includes working with volunteers to clear buckthorn. The quickly spreading shrub or small tree<\/a> is known to block sunlight from reaching smaller native plants, killing them. It harms the environment, economy and human health \u2014 like some exes.<\/p>\n Helen Holtz is the conservancy\u2019s land management director. She says she thought of the fundraiser idea on a whim last week.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI literally came up with it the night before, and I quickly made it and posted it the next day,\u201d Holtz said.<\/p>\n She says people in Waukesha County have \u201cquite the vendetta\u201d against their exes. So far, more than 60 people have signed on.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI just thought the more people who get involved, who start learning about invasive species and their local ecosystems, the better,\u201d Holtz said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Aaron Feggestad is a board member for the land conservancy and avid volunteer. He\u2019s also an ecologist. He said buckthorn can grow \u201cvery densely\u201d and create a \u201cthicket.\u201d<\/p>\n The species of buckthorn in southern Wisconsin is called common buckthorn or European buckthorn. That\u2019s because Europeans introduced it<\/a> to North America in the 1800s.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was introduced as an ornamental plant,\u201d Feggestad said. \u201cIt was planted in hedgerows and residential areas, and then later on, it was planted for wildlife habitat and for windbreaks, and it quickly spread from those areas where it was originally planted.\u201d<\/p>\n The seeds and berries from the tree spread quickly. It\u2019s now found across most of the U.S. \u2014 east of the Rocky Mountains and north of Tennessee \u2014 and in eastern Canada.<\/p>\n Feggestad said it\u2019s \u201cvery at home\u201d on southern Wisconsin\u2019s high pH soil and wetlands similar to northern Europe.<\/p>\n He will join other volunteers working on the project.<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/630676248_1318332100329577_62513.jpg\")
A chopped buckthorn tree stump is treated with poison, so it does not grow back. Source: Waukesha County Land Conservancy<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/626462600_1309674517862002_36234-1.jpg\")
A team of volunteers works to clear invasive buckthorn trees. Source: Waukesha County Land Conservancy<\/p>\n