Management Techniques
Hand Pulling - Our first choice, most effective for garlic mustard and seedlings of glossy buckthorn, asian bittersweet. Can leave behind roots that regrow. Disrupts soil structure and brings buried seeds to the surface.
Cut and dab - Concentrated solution of glyphosate (brand name Shore Klear) applied immediately to cut surface of the stem. Used on glossy buckthorn, asian bittersweet, autumn olive, norway maple and other plants too big too pull. Not effective in the spring. Has a variable success rate, usually about 75%. We used to dilute it to 20%, recommendation is to now use the concentrate full strength (53.8). The advantage of this is that you don't have to dispose of unused solution, if left undiluted it will remain effective in the PVC wand.
Foliar spray, glove of death - 1 to 2% solution of glyphosate, usually with surfactant (cygnet plus) applied directly to leaves. Used on garlic mustard in the early spring before natives have emerged and in the late fall. Glove of death, which is using a glove soaked with herbicide, is used primarily on cattails. We are now used triclopyr, brand name Renovate 3. We purchase this from a company in Flint called Cygnet Enterprises, 1860 Bagwell Streeet, Flint, Mi 48503, 810-744-0540. This is also diluted to a 1-5% solution. Five percent is most effective on ground cover plants like ivy, when mixed with a fatty acid adjuvent called Scythe.
Burning - An expensive but very effective technique for managing seedlings and fire sensitive invasive plants. Recommended in oak dominant areas since oak is heat tolerant and maple seedlings aren't. Also, fens require periodic burns to control glossy buckthorn and shrubs. Sedges and other fen plants are adapted to regular burning.
MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) for Renovate 3, Shore Klear and Scythe
Resources:
Best Practices from Michigan Natural Features Inventory http://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/invasive-species/best-control-practice-guides.cfm
Reporting form - invasive control Short form
Reporting form - invasive control - long form, contains high resolution images
Herbicide dilution cheat sheet