A diverse mix of UNH employees, students, townspeople, members of Greek societies, and friends gathered in College Woods recently to help restore the ecology of the forest. 

UNH land use coordinator and Woodlands office manager Steve Eisenhaure lead a crew of more than 20 people during two days.  Eisenhaure is working with volunteers to rid the forest of glossy buckthorn, a non-native invasive shrub that has taken over portions of the understory of the forest in UNH’s backyard, the College Woods Natural Area.  

“College Woods is recognized as one of the oldest and best examples of hemlock-beech-oak-pine forest in New Hampshire. Eliminating invasive plants will encourage native shrubs and trees, keeping the forest healthy and resilient,” Eisenhaure says.   

In just a few hours, volunteers were able to make a dramatic impact on the forest understory. Elizabeth Sterndale, a senior and president of the forestry honor society Xi Sigma Pi, said:  “It feels great to do something that’s really needed, when you might have thought the problem was out of your hands. You can already see the impact we’ve made.”   

Volunteers pulled small plants by hand, and used tools called weed wrenches that act as levers to pull larger shrubs out of the ground by the roots. 

Kristin Blackwell, a UNH employee who also brought her friend Malone Cloitre, of Dover to the workday, sees working in College Woods as a way of giving back.  “I walk in these woods all the time. It feel great helping out, and I love working outdoors.”   

To learn more and get involved in the woodlands projects, find them on Facebook at: UNH Office of Woodlands and Natural Areas.