South East Exotic Plant Management Team

We thought we would write a blurb that outline a typical work day.

Our day usually begins at 7 am. After discussing the location where we will be working, we load up our gear into our Ford F250 named Bula and drive to our site. The gear typically includes loppers, hand saws, and herbicide. Additional equipment can include chainsaws, hedge trimmers, and chaps. If we are cutting trees or large vines we will use 25% Accord herbicide in spray bottles. This kills the roots of the plant when it gets sucked down as a seal forms. In the sites we work in we have observed many stumps that have sent out new shoots. This can be the result of not treating a stump once the top has been cut off. We also have used a 3% mix of Accord when foliar spraying. This involves filling up backpack sprayers with about 3 gallons of herbicide and covering at least 80% of the leaf surfaces. The herbicide will be taken into the leaves and kill by acting as a plant estrogen. It takes a week or more to see results; however upon revisiting our first site at Bull Mountain we were able to see our hard work paying off.

After loading up and getting to our site, we walk in our gear and decide our plan of action. We have rotating duties every week. We have a Hitch Leader who will lay out how we are executing the plan for the day, the Notebook keeper who records what we do and how much herbicide we use, a PPE (personal protection equipment) police, and a Medic who is in charge of the first aid kit.

After stating our plan of action we will proceed to start killing some plants until noon. After lunch we are back in the field and work until 4 pm, when we pack up the equipment and head back to the office. At the office we unload and so ends our work day.

Hello. My name is Danny Stewart. I have been working on invasive plants for the past year and have grown to hate them with a passion! I’ve been in the Southeast working 18 National Parks in six states including North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. It has been an awesome experience. I now have a class A chainsaw certification, ATV training, herbicide applicators license, CPR, wilderness first aid certification, and more. I was landscaping for two years prior to this internship and now realize I shouldn’t have planted all those boxwoods and crate myrtles. Before landscaping I was the manager of Dairy Queen in Asheville, NC for three years, a very forgettable experience. I am much happier working outside throwing chainsaws around killing everything in sight. I went to high school in Pittsboro, NC. I graduated in 2004 and went off to Guilford College in Greensboro, NC on a soccer scholarship. After my first year I realized school was not for me so I moved to Asheville to figure my life out. I love to camp, hike, and fish. Really anything outdoors is enjoyable for me. I play a variety of sports, soccer being my favorite. I also play basketball, baseball, football, volleyball, and tennis. I look forward to working on the Blue Ridge Parkway trying to clean it up because I spend a lot of time hiking on it. This summer I hope to visit every waterfall in the general area. I love jumping into some freezing cold river water! That’s about it for today. PLANT NATIVE!!!!!!!

Hello. My name is Paul Neville. I am an energetic young man from New Jersey with a passion for life. I recently graduated from Rutgers University with a B.S. in Ecology and Natural Resources and a Certificate in Environmental Geomatics (GIS). I love plants, animals, people, and other beautiful things.

My current position with the SCA is a perfect fit for me. I love doing physical work outdoors, and I take great satisfaction in doing positive things for the environment. Also, the practical training and leadership experience I gain on the job will set me up nicely for future employment. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity.

North Carolina is beautiful and Asheville is a really cool place to be. Give us a ring if you are in the area. :-)