An assessment of common buckthorn in northern U.S. forests

This publication is part of a series of that provides an overview of the presence of invasive plant species monitored on an extensive systematic network of plots measured by the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station (NRS). Each research note features one of the invasive plants monitored on forested plots by NRS FIA in the 24 states of the Midwestern and Northeastern United States. Common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica; also known as European buckthorn) is a woody shrub that is native to Eurasia and was introduced to North America as an ornamental from Europe in the 1800s (Kurtz 2013). It is a problematic invader as it can grow across a range of light levels.