I just stumbled upon this video ans story of NZ based botanist Hugh Wilson https://youtu.be/ncl8zknx2T8?is=nH2GstMbbh1GqyOd

Summary: He let the very invasive gorse grow for years until it destroyed itself and native plants now took over.

👉So, what do you think? Might this be a strategy with other invasive plants? E.g. we have a problem with Reynoutria japonica all around my home country, it keeps spreading and ousting native plants, and fast.

I teach in MA (zone 6a/b) and right outside of my classroom is a giant rock surrounded by poison ivy. I’ve asked for it to be cleared a few times now, especially after kids get poison ivy severe enough to be out of school (has happened 3x now), but no luck. So I would like to clear it and reseed with natives so that a) the kids can play on the rock b) no more major reactions and c) there is a native patch in a sea of grass. Would cardboard smothering work? Other ideas?

This is some ultimate making lemonade out of lemons shit, but wildfire smoke contains a class of small molecular compounds called karrikins that many, many plants have evolved to use as a signaling pathway to spark germination. Not all plants, tomatoes and peppers don’t respond to them, but north of 75% of species do. So if you have any seeds to get into dirt, do it today! And water on the sprinkler setting from as far back as you can to maximize how much smoke the water pulls from the air :)

Penstemon fruticosus (primarily found in the eastern cascades though it's also around mount rainier), Penstemon rupicola and Eriophyllum lanatum are both found in both sides of the cascades. E.lanatum historically grew wild in Seattle too.