Are you interested in how to control non-native invasive plants in your yard, on your street, or in your Homeowner’s Association property? Bob Gale will discuss issues related to non-native invasive plants, methods of control, and ideas for moving your yard toward a more natural ecosystem. His background includes landscaping, arboriculture, and wetland science, and he has worked as a forest ecologist in coastal, piedmont, and mountain regions of the southeast. Bob wrote the natural history portions of the book "A Highroad Guide to the North Carolina Mountains"; and co-authored, with his wife and son, "A Beachcomber’s Guide to Fossils".

MountainTrue, in partnership with the WCU Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning, is hosting a community volunteer workday to control non-native invasive plants and restore native habitat at the Jackson County Greenway. We will primarily be pulling up roots and using hand tools to remove invasive shrubs like Chinese privet and then treat the stumps.

This hike will explore an old-growth, high elevation oak forest in the proposed Craggy Mountain National Scenic Area. The hike will be partially off trail, traverse steep, rocky terrain, and be very strenuous. During the hike we will discuss tree identification, forest ecology, and traits of old-growth forests, among other topics.