What is Gorse?
Gorse is a hardy evergreen shrub originally native to Western Europe, where it has long been of agricultural, ecological, and cultural importance, particularly within the British Isles. Today it has been introduced to and can be found growing freely in North America (particularly Oregon and California), South America, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Sri Lanka, and the Falkland Islands. It is well-adapted to a large range of growing conditions, including very rocky soils, drought conditions, or highly disturbed ground. It prefers areas with high sun exposure and can often be found growing on coastal bluffs and cliffs, though it occurs in inland regions as well.
Physical Description
From a distance, gorse is visually similar to Scotch broom, with a similar scraggly, branching growth habit and bright yellow blooms. Closer up, however, gorse is easily distinguishable from the sharp, dense spines that cover the plant in place of its leaves. Gorse may reach up to ten feet tall, but often takes on a lower-growing form when found on wind-exposed bluffs. Its yellow flowers are most abundant from March to May, but some flowers may be present throughout most of the year.
Why is Gorse a Problem?
Gorse, being extremely hardy and fast-growing, easily overtakes most areas it is introduced to, pushing out native plants along the way. It is also highly flammable. These two factors combined pose serious concerns for communities where gorse becomes heavily established. In fact, the initial introduction of gorse to the West Coast eventually led to the near-complete destruction of the town of Bandon in 1936. The town’s founder, in homage to his birthplace, named the seaside community after his hometown of Bandon, Ireland, and brought with him a plant known as Irish hedge- aka gorse. Between 1852 and 1936 “Irish hedge” spread unchecked, until one day sparks from a forest fire several miles from town were blown into a gorse patch. Flammable oils in the plant greatly accelerated the fire, destroying most of the town’s buildings and killing ten of its residents. However, as fire is an intrinsic part of gorse ecology, the plant’s population soon recovered and persists in large numbers to this day.
Due to both the immense safety risk posed by uncontrolled gorse and the threat posed to sensitive coastal species such as the Oregon silverspot butterfly, hoary elfin butterfly, snowy plover, and pink sand verbena, Lincoln SWCD has undertaken a new gorse control program within Lincoln County. Please contact the District if you believe you have gorse occurring on your property!
Controlling Fennel
Gorse may be manually controlled by hand-pulling, use of a weed wrench, or digging. So long as the tap root is fully removed, the plant will not resprout. Be sure to monitor the surrounding area for at least several years afterwards, as seeds that have previously dropped from the plant can remain viable for decades.
In locations where the terrain, soil type, or scale of infestation makes manual removal impractical or impossible, gorse can be controlled with a foliar or cut-stump application of herbicide. Triclopyr has been found the most effective in treating gorse, but several other herbicides are also effective. Consult the Pacific Northwest Pest Management Handbook for more information. All chemical treatment should always be carried out according to label directions.
Other forms of gorse control may include long-term shading out by way of conifer planting, or grazing by livestock such as goats.
More information on gorse and its control can be found here: