An invasive species is a non-native plant that spreads aggressively because the things that would normally keep it in check — insects, disease, browsing animals, competition — didn't come with it. Ohio has more than 700 non-native plants growing wild, but fewer than 100 are aggressive enough to actually take over natural areas. Those are the ones doing the real damage, and Ohio's own hazard mitigation plan names its top ten: bush honeysuckle, autumn olive, buckthorn, common reed, garlic mustard, Japanese honeysuckle, Japanese knotweed, multiflora rose, purple loosestrife, and reed canary grass.
Four of those—bush honeysuckle, autumn olive, buckthorn and multiflora rose—are woody invasives we regularly encounter on Geauga and Portage properties. Dense blackberry and mixed bramble patches are a fifth common homeowner concern. They are not automatically invasive, but thorny canes can still turn a trail, fence line or sunny clearing into a wall.
That's not an accident of history — it's the actual root of the problem.
Bush honeysuckle, autumn olive, and multiflora rose were all recommended for decades — for erosion control, wildlife habitat, or as a living fence. By the time their invasive nature was understood, they'd already naturalized across the state.
Each of these produces heavy berry crops that birds eat and spread widely. A single untreated patch can seed a whole property, and neighboring ones, over a few years.
These species green up earlier in spring and hold their leaves later into fall than native trees — extra weeks of photosynthesis every year that native seedlings don't get, which is a big part of why they choke out regeneration in a forest understory.
A 2026 field study published in Forest Science tested mulching-head treatments directly against Amur honeysuckle — the most common bush honeysuckle in Ohio — and found that higher-intensity mulching passes meaningfully limited the shrub's ability to resprout, while also helping native understory plants recover. The mechanism is straightforward:
You do not need to know the botanical name before calling. Compare the leaves, fruit, thorns and growth habit below, then send a few close photos and one wide photo showing the whole patch. We confirm what is present before recommending how to clear it.
Lonicera maackii and related nonnative species
Elaeagnus umbellata
Rhamnus cathartica
Rosa multiflora
Rubus species, including Allegheny blackberry
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