Invasive Plant Removal & Management in North Augusta, Aiken, and the CSRA

The on-site assessment is free, and removal is priced by the size and severity of the infestation. Cost depends on how large the area is, the species and how established it is, the cutting involved, and the herbicide treatment, and usually includes a follow-up pass. Arborwright assesses the site first and gives an itemized plan, since a half-acre of privet and a single ivy-covered tree are very different jobs.

You can cut them, but cutting alone usually makes them worse. Plants like privet, kudzu, and tree of heaven store energy in their roots and respond to cutting by pushing out many new shoots, leaving a denser thicket the next year. Lasting control requires treating the roots with a targeted herbicide, applied correctly and at the right time of year.

The most common in the region are Chinese privet, kudzu, English ivy, Chinese and Japanese wisteria, Bradford or Callery pear, nandina, mimosa, and tree of heaven. Many were sold as landscape plants and spread into the wild. Correct identification matters, because each species responds to a different removal and treatment method.

Yes. Bradford and other Callery pears were planted widely as ornamentals, but they cross-pollinate and spread aggressively into fields and roadsides, crowding out natives and forming thorny thickets. Several states have moved to ban their sale. Removing them, stump and all, and replacing them with a native tree is the recommended fix.

Applied correctly, yes. Targeted methods like cut-stump and basal treatment put the herbicide directly on the invasive plant, not broadcast across the area, so the native trees and plants around it are protected. A Licensed Applicator selects the product and rate and follows the label, which is what separates professional control from a sprayer full of guesswork.

An arborist identifies the species and maps the infestation, then the invasive growth is cut and cleared and the stumps or stems are treated with a targeted herbicide so the roots die. Climbing vines are cut off trees first to stop the damage. A follow-up pass handles resprouts, and the cleared area can then be replanted with natives.

A single pass rarely eliminates an established invasive completely, which is why follow-up is part of the plan rather than an afterthought. Treated correctly, the bulk of an infestation is knocked down the first season, with a follow-up catching resprouts and missed roots. Ongoing monitoring keeps a property from being re-invaded from neighboring land.

Many crews will cut brush and call it done, which guarantees you will fight it again. Arborwright cuts and treats the roots so the plant actually dies, and protects the natives around it. Burns Newsome is a Licensed Applicator with two degrees in the biological sciences who built the company around restoring healthy, diverse landscapes, not just clearing them.

Yes. English ivy climbing a tree adds weight, holds moisture against the bark, hides defects, and eventually weakens and can topple the tree, while spreading across the ground and shading out everything beneath it. The fix is to cut the vines off the trunk to kill the climbing growth, then treat and clear the ground cover so it does not return.

Once an area is cleared and the invasives are controlled, it is ready to recover. In many spots the native seed bank comes back on its own, and where you want faster results, the area can be replanted with native trees and shrubs that hold the ground and support local wildlife. Restoring what belongs there is the point of the work.