Part 1 – The Soapbox
By: Julianne Mason, Restoration Program Coordinator, Forest Preserve District of Will County
Invasive plant management often feels like a brute force exercise. We use the language of battle when we talk about killing invasive species. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the actual goal isn’t to kill invasive plants – it’s to preserve or restore native plant diversity and community integrity. It’s not only Kill, Kill, Kill. Yes, we need to control invasive plant species before they take over and reduce the diversity of natives. Yes, it’s often necessary to apply herbicides to kill invasive plants. But it’s equally as important to do so in a way that promotes or re-establishes a diverse native community. Otherwise, we’re caught in a downward spiral of killing plants, resulting in bare holes that get colonized by more weeds and invasive plants, killing those plants, creating more bare holes that get colonized by weeds, etc., etc., etc.
The finesse strategy of invasive plant management recognizes that it’s generally most effective to use a selective chemical, selective application method, or selective timing to be able to control the invasive while minimizing collateral damage to native plant species. Despite being as selective as possible, using herbicides can cause collateral damage to the native plant species that we’re trying to protect. Furthermore, causing collateral damage to native plants can reduce the competition faced by invasive plants and can tip the localized playing field to favor more invasives. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t control invasive species – we absolutely must do so to preserve native plant diversity. However, we need to be mindful that using herbicides effectively must both: 1) effectively control the invasive, and 2) minimize impacts to native plants, or at least not inhibit their re-establishment.
grassland restoration network 
Hear hear!
Things not on the label:
Rain, even after the period required for rain-fast-ness, can wash or splatter herbicide and lead to collateral damage. The longer it is until rain is forecast, the better.
Dripping herbicide onto snow during winter cut stump on basal applications can cause collateral damage.
Dripping herbicide on to soil can cause collateral damage, especially on sandy soil that has limited ability to immobilize herbicides.
Many desirable plants maintain living tissues at or above the soil surface through the winter that can lead to them being damaged by broadcast spray or overspray from basal treatments.
We are entering a new phase in ecological restoration. I framed my previous work as a battle between good & evil. My mindset was to save the planet by identifying & attacking the enemy. More recently, I’ve tried to establish a relationship with the land, letting it tell me what it needs & what it doesn’t. This new approach feels much better, minimizes harm & is more effective.
Comment #5 by prairiebotanist points to the need for management plans. One of the first things to do when creating a plan is to divide a site into management units, informed by a survey of community types, soil moisture, quality assessment, invasive plant density, restoration potential, etc. Then those units are prioritized in accordance with overall site goals.