Because of the dangers of unintentional collateral damage to non-target species, chemicals should not be used until you have exhausted mechanical means. This treatment has been shown to be effective for autumn olive, the buckthorns, and multiflora rose. Oriental bittersweet is an example of a species that tolerates glyphosate, so that chemical treatment may require cut-stem application of a restricted organochlorine such as Garlon. A number of organizations are beginning to develop recommendations for mechanical, biological, and chemical controls. Seedlings may be pulled by hand or removed with a grubbing hoe.
Excavation is most useful in areas with low-density invasions.
Repeated cutting, which reduces plant strength, is recommended twice in each season for two or three successive years. Girdling may be done all winter, does not disrupt the soil, and does not affect sensitive wetlands. At a recent Massachusetts Forest Stewardship workshop on rare and invasive plants in managed forests, presenter Jim McDougall, Land Manager for the Essex County Greenbelt Association, told an interesting story of an anonymous defender of native plants. This woodland owner has been as persistent as the invasion in his commitment to native plants. He carrys a holstered cordless drill and an oilcan with a properly diluted herbicide on his daily walk through his woodland.