We talk to a lot of property owners in Lake County and Northern Cook County who have known about their buckthorn problem for years but haven't gotten around to addressing it. "It hasn't bothered us," they say. Or: "We'll deal with it next year."
We understand the impulse to wait. Buckthorn removal takes time and investment, and the problem isn't always obvious until it's severe. But in our experience, every year you wait makes the job significantly larger and the long-term restoration significantly harder.
Here's why removing buckthorn from your property matters, and why acting now is almost always better than waiting.
Your Property Value
A property that has dense buckthorn thickets covering a third of its wooded acreage is worth less than one with a healthy, diverse native woodland. This might seem abstract, but appraisers and buyers notice it, especially if they're familiar with the region.
Beyond aesthetics, a property overrun with buckthorn often signals years of neglect to prospective buyers. Conversely, a property where invasive species have been actively managed tells a different story: this land has been cared for.
The Compounding Problem
Buckthorn spreads faster than most people realize. A small stand of 15–20 shrubs can produce tens of thousands of seeds in a single growing season. Those seeds can remain viable in the soil for up to six years. Birds eat the berries and deposit seeds across your property and neighboring land.
If you remove buckthorn today without follow-up treatment, you can expect dense seedling populations to emerge from that seed bank the following season. This is why removal alone is not enough, and why a treatment plan is essential.
The math works against you the longer you wait: more mature plants, more seeds in the soil, more regrowth to manage. Acting when the population is still manageable saves you significant time and cost down the road.
The Ecological Cost
If you have wooded areas on your property, buckthorn is almost certainly suppressing the native plants that would otherwise grow there. Wildflowers, native shrubs, and tree seedlings that would naturally regenerate in a woodland understory cannot compete with buckthorn's dense shade and allelopathic chemistry.
The loss of this understory diversity has cascading effects:
- Wildlife habitat declines. Native birds and insects depend on native plants for food and nesting. A buckthorn monoculture provides far less value to local wildlife than a diverse native understory.
- Soil health suffers. Buckthorn leaf litter alters soil chemistry in ways that favor its own seedlings and inhibit native species regeneration.
- Neighboring properties are affected. Buckthorn spreads. Your infestation is a seed source for your neighbors' land and for nearby natural areas.
Illinois Regulations
Illinois has not yet imposed mandatory removal requirements for common buckthorn on private property, but the state does list it as an exotic weed and restricts its sale and distribution. Some municipalities and forest preserve districts in the region have more active management programs.
Whether or not there are local requirements in your area, the ecological case for removal is clear, as is the practical case, given how much easier and less expensive early removal is compared to dealing with a mature infestation.
What Effective Removal Looks Like
Buckthorn removal done right involves:
- Cutting all stems at or near ground level
- Immediately treating cut stumps with an appropriate herbicide to prevent resprouting
- Follow-up monitoring in subsequent seasons for seedling emergence and stump regrowth
- Retreatment as needed, typically for 2–3 years after initial removal
Skipping the treatment step, or treating inconsistently, typically results in vigorous regrowth that's even harder to manage than the original stand.
Getting Started
If you've been thinking about addressing the buckthorn on your property, this season is a good time to act. We offer free on-site assessments and will give you an honest picture of what's involved: the scope of the work, what a treatment program would look like, and what you can expect in terms of results.
Contact us to schedule a walkthrough. We serve Lake County and Northern Cook County, and are happy to discuss projects in surrounding areas as well.