As naturalists, though, we saw that JHARVNC has the same problem than much of western Arkansas has. The plants most aggressively growing into the trails are invasive foreign species, especially privet. Privet grows as bushes in thick clumps, covering the ground and pushing out native plants. Privet spreads both by seeds, which new plants are quick to create, and by root suckers, with new privet bushes popping up from spreading roots. If you see a stand of trees poking up from a 10 foot tall wall of green, that's a privet thicket taking over the area of the grove.
Another fault of privet is that when it takes over territory, it offers little back to the ecosystem. Native plants offer food such as nectar and seeds. Even the foliage is well suited for leaf-eating insects, which in turn feeds small birds and animals. While privet seeds may be eaten by birds, that does not replace the variety and abundance of the displaced plants.
Privet was what we were cutting back from the trails. We could see stubs where the same stand of brush had been cut back before and It's certain we'll be back next year cutting back in these same spots. Privet can be eliminated, but it takes a strict program of pulling it all out and then consistent followup to nip it in the bud when it shows up again. As an alternative, a herd of sheep or goats can keep privet under control, though they will also eat the other low-growing vegetation.
Few landowners have the commitment or the funds to eliminate a privet problem. So until a better solution offers itself, WAMN will be back clearing the trails again next year.