Buckthorn Removal in Indiana: Cost and Plan

Look along almost any old fence row in northern Indiana in November, after the maples and the native shrubs have dropped their leaves, and you may still see a band of green: slim stems carrying glossy, oval leaves that refuse to let go. That is very often glossy buckthorn, and the fence row is no accident. The shrub was brought to North America as an ornamental for fence rows and wildlife habitat, and fence rows are still where it is easiest to find.

People often cut it once, with a chainsaw on a fall weekend, and then watch it come back thicker. This guide covers how buckthorn spreads, why one cutting fails, what Indiana’s rule means for the cut brush, a follow-up plan for fence rows and wet ground, and what clearing costs around Lowell and Northwest Indiana.

Glossy and Common Buckthorn in Indiana

Indiana has two invasive buckthorns, and both are regulated. Common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) and glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus) are on the list of plants designated invasive under the Terrestrial Plant Rule, 312 IAC 18-3-25, which took effect on 18 April 2019. Under it, no one may “sell, gift, barter, exchange, distribute, transport, or introduce” a listed plant in the state.

Glossy buckthorn is the one most tied to the north of the state. A fact sheet from Indiana’s Invasive Plant Species Assessment Working Group, published through Purdue Extension, says that “in Indiana, it is found primarily in the northern third of the state”, the part of Indiana that takes in Lowell and the rest of Lake County. The same sheet lists the places it turns up: fens, sedge meadows, wet and mesic prairie, shrub swamps and upland forests, “frequently” in the understory. The state’s own invasive species assessment of glossy buckthorn scored it 133.5, a High ranking.

How to Recognize It

The working group’s sheet gives the field marks for glossy buckthorn. It is a shrub or small tree up to about seven meters tall. Its leaves are 1 to 3 inches long, shiny on top, oval and slightly wavy. The fruit turns from green to red to black, maturing in September. Cut a stem and the wood gives it away: yellow sapwood around a pink to orange heartwood. It also leafs out very early in the growing season and keeps its leaves late into fall, which is why a buckthorn fence row is often among the first green in spring and the last in fall.

How Buckthorn Spreads

Birds carry the fruit. The state assessment records that the fruits “are eaten by birds and other wildlife.” Birds perch on fence wire and in the trees along a field edge, which helps explain why seedlings so often come up in lines.

Water carries it too. The same assessment notes the fruits are dispersed by water: one study found fresh fruit floats for 19 days. A ditch or creek bank downstream of a buckthorn stand is a likely next home.

Each shrub makes a great deal of seed. The assessment cites fruit production of 430 to 1,560 fruits per shrub.

It shades out what is underneath. The working group’s sheet describes “a wide habitat tolerance, a rapid growth rate and an extensive root system,” and notes that by leafing out early and holding its leaves late, it shades out native trees, shrubs and wildflowers.

Why One Cutting Fails

Cutting a buckthorn stem does not kill the roots. The USDA Forest Service’s Fire Effects Information System reports that glossy buckthorn “sprouts ‘prolifically’ from its roots and/or root crown after being wounded or top-killed,” and gives the example of one shrub that sent up 50 sprouts after cutting.

Three more facts from the same review explain why a single pass is only a start:

• The seed waits in the soil. Glossy buckthorn seed “remains viable in the seed bank for at least 2 years and perhaps longer,” so new seedlings keep coming after every stem is gone.
• Sprouts fruit fast. Sprouts of mature top-killed plants have produced fruit in their first growing season, so a cut fence row left alone can be dropping seed again within the year.
• Repetition works. Stands cut twice in a single growing season for two to three years in a row were less dense and shorter than untreated stands.

Burning does not solve it either. The working group’s sheet notes that fire will top-kill stems, but “re-sprouting will occur and seed germination may increase.” Pulling large plants out with heavy equipment disturbs the roots of plants nearby and leaves open soil that new seedlings quickly colonize.

So any quote that promises buckthorn “removed” in one visit deserves a second question. One mulching pass opens the line; it is the start of a plan.

A Follow-Up Plan for Fence Rows and Field Edges

Here is how that research translates to a fence row, a ditch bank or the brushy back of a lot.

1. Flag what stays. Walk the line and mark the oaks, hickories, maples and native shrubs you want kept. Every keeper tree is a point the machine steers around.
2. First pass, on ground that can carry it. A forestry mulcher cuts every stem in the line at once and grinds it into chips where it stood, with the stumps ground flush. On dry upland that can be any time; on low, wet ground it is usually late summer, fall or frozen ground (see the Northwest Indiana section below).
3. Second cut the same growing season. Once the sprouts are up, cut them again before they can rebuild their reserves or set fruit. The Forest Service notes growth is fastest in late spring and early summer, which is when the sprouts are most worth hitting.
4. Repeat for two to three seasons. Cutting twice a season for two to three years is what thinned stands in the research. Where the ground allows a mower, the working group’s sheet reports repeated mowing “has been reported effective in maintaining open areas and preventing seedling establishment.”
5. Herbicide, if you choose it. The working group’s sheet also lists cut-stump and foliar herbicide treatments. Cut Brush does mechanical work only and applies no herbicide; if you want a chemical follow-up, that is work for a licensed applicator you hire, scheduled around the cutting.

Pro tip: Book the follow-up cuts when you book the first pass. The visits in the first summer are the ones that matter most and the ones most often skipped.

What Buckthorn Removal Costs

Clearing buckthorn out of a fence row, field edge or ditch bank typically runs $1,500 to $2,500 per acre, the fence row and buckthorn band on our Lowell pricing page. An old, wide thicket with larger stems prices as forestry mulching, $1,500 to $4,000 per acre.

Job	Typical range	Notes
Buckthorn and brush along a fence row or under trees you keep	$1,500 – $2,500 per acre	Narrow lines are counted by their acreage equivalent
Dense thicket with larger stems	$1,500 – $4,000 per acre	The forestry mulching band
One short fence row or backyard stand	$1,500 minimum charge	Where small jobs start; access and density set the final quote
Follow-up passes for sprouts	Priced per visit	Listed in the quote as their own lines
Herbicide treatment	Separate trade	Quoted by a licensed applicator

Each pass grinds the stems and stumps into mulch on site, flush with the ground, with nothing hauled away. Full stump removal below grade is discussed and priced in the quote if you want it, and grading is not part of our price.

What moves a buckthorn job inside the band is the stem count, the length of line the machine has to travel, how many keeper trees it steers around, and how wet the ground is. The Lowell forestry mulching cost guide explains hourly against per-acre quotes and why a single fence row often bills at the minimum.

The Northwest Indiana Cases: Fence Rows, Ditches and Wet Ground

Around Lowell, Cedar Lake, Crown Point and the towns south toward the Kankakee River, very little of the land is woodland. Buckthorn work here is mostly lines: fence rows between fields, the edges of new subdivisions, and the banks of the ditches that drain the flat ground.

Keep the brush on the property. Because the Terrestrial Plant Rule makes it illegal to transport listed plants, loading a fence row’s worth of buckthorn, berries and all, onto a trailer raises a question that grinding it in place never asks. Whether cut brush counts as transport is a question for the Indiana DNR; mulching avoids it.

Ditch banks need a word with the county first. In Lake County, work within a regulated drain or its 75-foot easement goes to the Lake County Drainage Board, which takes applications through the Surveyor’s Office in Crown Point. A mulcher leaves the roots and the bank where they are, which keeps the work light, but ask before the machine arrives. Requirements vary by parcel, scope and jurisdiction, and the governing authority makes the determination.

Wet ground changes the calendar. Glossy buckthorn favors wet places, and the low sandy fields of the Kankakee basin hold water for part of the year. The best season to stop sprouts, late spring, is often when that ground is softest. A realistic plan on wet ground is a first pass on dry or frozen ground in fall or winter, then the summer sprout cuts done lightly, by mower or trimmer, so nothing heavy crosses soft soil.

For owners across the state line in Will and Kankakee counties, Illinois, the clearing method is the same but the rules are Illinois rules, so check with your village or county office before work starts. Start at land clearing in Lowell for the ground, permits and towns on the Indiana side, or see the Lowell services page for what each method does.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will mulching kill buckthorn?

Not on its own. Mulching cuts every stem at once, but the roots sprout back and the seed in the soil keeps germinating. Cutting the sprouts again through the season, for two to three years, is what clears a fence row.

Is buckthorn illegal in Indiana?

Common and glossy buckthorn are both on Indiana’s Terrestrial Plant Rule list, so it is illegal to sell, gift, barter, exchange, distribute, transport or introduce them in the state.

When is the best time to cut buckthorn?

Sprouts grow fastest in late spring and early summer, so that is when follow-up cuts do the most good. The first heavy pass on wet ground is often better in fall or on frozen ground, when a machine will not rut the soil.

How much does buckthorn removal cost in Indiana?

Around Lowell, fence row and buckthorn clearing runs $1,500 to $2,500 per acre and dense thickets $1,500 to $4,000, with a minimum charge of about $1,500 for small jobs. Follow-up visits are priced separately, and herbicide is a separate trade.

Get Buckthorn Out of Your Fence Rows

Request a free quote and we’ll contact you to discuss your property, access and the clearing you need. Our crew plans buckthorn work in the order that works: flagged, cut, cut again, and checked the next year. Whether it is a fence row between fields near Lowell, a ditch bank in Cedar Lake or a backyard thicket in Hebron, every season it stands means more seed in the soil.

Read more: statewide costs and rules in the Indiana land clearing cost guide.