Tackling the Control and Management of Buckthorn

Kane, Pa. – The October 15, 2026 Roach-Bauer Forestry Forum is pleased to announce that Dr. Mike Schuster, Plant Ecologist and Assistant Professor of Biology at Hamline University and a Forestry Researcher at the University of Minnesota, will be the keynote speaker.  Mike also runs the Schuster Plant Ecology Lab, a contributing research partner of the Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center.  Dr. Schuster will present on his buckthorn research – specifically seedbank longevity, critical-period cutting, and native plant revegetation strategies to inhibit buckthorn re-establishment.

Mike graduated from Hamline University in 2010 with degrees in both biology and economics.  In 2015, he earned his Ph.D. from Purdue University while studying impacts of climate change and plant invasions on ecosystem processes.  Mike also serves as a researcher in the Department of Forest Resources at the University of Minnesota.  Mike started teaching at Hamline University in 2023 as an adjunct professor and joined the university permanently in 2025.

Since 2016, Dr. Schuster has led the Cover It Up! Project, where collaborations explore how densely establishing native plant cover can fortify forests against invasion of buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) and other exotic plants as a way to restore biodiversity.  Densely establishing native plants can also reduce the need for additional chemical or mechanical treatments.

A field tour will also be offered from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., departing from and returning to the Wilcox Community Building.  This optional afternoon session will include several field stops highlighting buckthorn’s impacts on forest regeneration and showcasing ongoing efforts of the Allegheny Forest Health Collaborative to contain and manage this invasive species across the region.  The registration form will provide an opportunity to indicate participant interest in the tour.    

Mike’s presentation will be of interest to all forest managers and conservationists that are currently dealing with the ever-increasing spread of the highly invasive buckthorn that is precluding natural regeneration of forests in NC PA. 

Society of American Foresters’ Continuing Forestry Education credits will be applied for this presentation. 

The Forum will be held at the Wilcox Community Building (also called the Jones Township Community Center) at 320 Faries St, downtown Wilcox, Pa., 15870.  Preceding the talk will be a no-host social hour from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., and dinner at 5:30 p.m.  The program will start immediately after dinner.  Reservations are required!  No reservations will be accepted after Thursday, October 8.  For reservations, contact the Allegheny Hardwood Utilization Group, PO Box 133, Kane, Pa., 16735, at 814-837-8550, or e-mail ashields@ahug.com.