PUTNEY — In late September, a flock of 38 sheep, accompanied by shepherds, border collies, and one Maremma guard dog, walked more than seven miles from David Major's farm in Westminster West.
Once they arrived at Putney Mountain - the most-often-visited natural area in the town (according to the 2010 survey taken by Putney's Conservation Commission) - the sheep quickly set themselves on a diet of glossy buckthorn.
The invasive plant had overtaken the formerly bare summit. In short order, the sheep demolished its last-of-the-season growth.
* * *
When the Putney Mountain Association (PMA) took ownership of the land in 1947, much of the ridgeline and the highest point were essentially open. A few old trees, including the so-called Elephant Tree, which still stands, were well established, but the view west to the Green Mountains and east to Mount Monadnock was clear from several vantage points.
Until the 1940s, the top of Putney Mountain was regularly used by local dairy farmers as a summer pasture for their young stock. Putney historians suggest that even earlier, when settlers lived high on the ridge, sheep were likely kept on the mountain.
As has happened all over Vermont, when livestock moved out, the forest moved in, though the bare ledges of the summit were inhospitable to seedlings, and those that took hold were easily controlled by lopping and pruning.
But hayscented fern established itself in the hollows, and then came glossy buckthorn, the invasive that plagues our forests in southeastern Vermont.
The Vermont invasives website describes buckthorn as “an aggressive invader that can form dense thickets which shade and displace native understory plants, shrubs, and tree seedlings.”
Left to its own devices on Putney Mountain's summit, it would grow 20 or 30 feet high, blocking the prized vistas and blocking sight lines for dedicated hawk watchers who monitor the hawk migration each autumn.
In addition, as buckthorn displaces native plants, habitat for native wildlife is threatened.
For many years, PMA members attempted to keep buckthorn under control by cutting it back once a year and sometimes attempting twice-a-year cutting. This pruning only encouraged vigorous regrowth and the development of deeply entrenched roots. Cutting three times a year had been recommended, but the extent of infestation was more than volunteers could handle.
Many Putney Mountain Association board meetings have included thoughtful discussion of the buckthorn problem.
Finally, a decision was made to use glyphosate, a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide, as a foliar spray on a small test patch. At the same time, we began investigating the possibility of using grazing animals, a more natural method of control.
* * *
Many websites depict present-day use of goats for clearing invasives, both on agricultural land and in cities - San Francisco, Cleveland, and Detroit, to name a few.
Grant funds were awarded to PMA for the grazing alternative by the New England Grassroots Environment Fund, Vermont Grass Farmers Association, and The AnJeL Advised Fund of RSF Social Finance.
In late May, 15 goats and two herders from The Goat Girls in Amherst, Mass., equipped with hundreds of feet of solar-powered electric fencing, were welcomed to the Putney Mountain summit. The goats began to chomp.
It was almost miraculous to watch the goats devouring buckthorn leaves and astonishing to see how quickly new leaves sprouted. Visitors to the summit were full of questions, finding the grazing project a source of great interest. Many expressed appreciation that such a natural, tried-and-true method was being applied to this beautiful location.
A second two-week session, with the goats covering the same area, began in late July. Again, there was re-growth of leaves, though a bit less vigorous.
But with insufficient funds for a desired third visit from The Goat Girls, we wondered how to proceed.
Was there a local herd of goats that could be employed? None was found, but David Major, producer of prize-winning Vermont Shepherd cheeses, casually mentioned that sheep control buckthorn on his farm. He made a flock of 38 ewes available.
* * *
This local source of grazing animals proved affordable, and the sheep proved equal to the task. With the increased number of animals and their stay of almost three weeks, the sheep were able to cover the area grazed by the goats, and quite a bit more.
With just one summer of grazing, buckthorn has been significantly impacted, and the area is already more accessible for people and animals.
However, buckthorn has not been eradicated from the Putney Mountain summit - next spring, we'll see what degree of progress has been made.