Buckthorn is an extremely aggressive and invasive species of shrub, which quickly overtakes native plants and destroys biodiversity. When allowed to grow, it becomes an eyesore of a tree. When biodiversity in plants is gone, that leaves no food for animals that rely on them and wildlife suffers the consequences. Buckthorn also releases a poisonous chemical in to the soil called Emodin, which harms and kills other plants. If that wasn't enough, the berries are consumed by birds thinking of it as a food source. But in reality, the berries have no nutrition and act as a laxative (so strong that in some smaller birds, it can result in death), helping to further distribute the seeds and perpetuate the problem. Buckthorn will continue to destroy native plant and wildlife habitat on private and public lands unless we come together to eradicate it. Private landowners - even with the smallest yards, likely have buckthorn and removing it from all private property is a great start to helping eradicate it from all land. This plant was mistakenly imported from Europe and unless we come together as a society, we'll all lose out on the diversity of our amazing forests and wildlife. View this video to learn how to identify and remove: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRZhzKi_AP4 or here https://www.lcfpd.org/what-we-do/conservation/landscaping/ Thank you!