Invasive Species Management Kits

Whether you are a gardener, property manager, or a just a lover of nature, you may have heard about the importance of native species and the benefits they provide. A native species is one that evolved in the ecosystem in which it exists, as opposed to exotic plants that were introduced from different regions. Using native plants in landscaping helps to support native insects and therefore native birds, and other wildlife, that depend on them. Native plants are better adapted to local soil and weather, requiring less watering than exotic species and may even help mitigate the ponding of water after a heavy rain due to the deep roots many have.

While native plants provide tremendous benefits to local habitats, there is another group of plants called invasive species that do the opposite. They are introduced plants that cause great harm to our native habitats. Without the natural balance of competition, predation, and disease, these plants excel in outcompeting native plants for resources. Some invasives have allelopathic properties that can poison the root systems of surrounding plants. Invasives often produce flowers and fruit that are not only less beneficial to native fauna but may also be detrimental.

Once an invasive species infests an area it can be difficult to control them from taking over and even spreading to new areas. When this happens, it requires human intervention. There are multiple approaches to invasive species management depending on the species in question and the location and severity of the infestation.

At DeKalb County Soil & Water Conservation District, we have invasive species management kits available for use in DeKalb County. The kits contain hand pruners, folding hand saws, heavy duty loppers, gloves, safety glasses, invasive species identification cards, and five-gallon buckets. Also available are dauber wands and squirt bottles for the cut stump treatment of woody invasives (herbicide not included). Thank you to NIPSCO and their Environmental Action Grant for making this possible!

The invasive species management kit guidelines can be found here:

For more information about our invasive species management kits, call (260) 925-5620 ext.3 or stop in out office located at 942 West 15th Street, Auburn, IN 46706, where we will be glad to answer any questions you may have about the use of the equipment to help eradicate your invasive species infestation.

Three Invasive Species Management Kits are available and each kit contains:

  • 5 Hand Pruners

  • 5 Folding Hand Saws

  • 5 Copies of the “Guide to the Regulated Terrestrial Invasive Species of Indiana” booklets.

  • 5 Loppers

  • (2) 5-Gallon Buckets

  • Safety Glasses

  • Work Gloves

  • Dauber bottles and/or wands for cut stump herbicide application can also be provided.

These supplies made possible thanks to the support of a NIPSCO Environmental Action Grant.