News

Reforestation in a Rare Woodland

"Planting trees is what this project is all about," says Paul Quinlan, stewardship manager of Shirley Heinze Land Trust, which is undertaking a reforestation project on a six-acre former hayfield at Ambler Flatwoods Nature Preserve in LaPorte County, Indiana. The Trust installed 3,700 trees in May, with the help of volunteers and a grant provided by the Michigan City Community Enrichment Corporation.

The 208-acre Ambler Flatwoods is Indiana's largest protected example of boreal (northern) flatwoods, a very rare natural community in Chicago Wilderness. Flatwoods occur on poorly drained ground, are wet much of the year, and feature a range of microhabitats with a very diverse plant layer, including many species typically found at more northern latitudes.

"The natural regeneration cycle of the northern hardwood forest takes place over decades rather than years like a prairie," notes Quinlan. "Some plants like dewberry and club moss will colonize in less than 10 years, and sedges and ferns should move in within 20 years. Other forest herbs may not take hold until after forest-type soil has developed, in 30 to 50 years."

For the reforestation effort, the project managers "selected trees that already exist naturally on the more pristine portions of the preserve," says Quinlan. "The knee-high seedlings, which we got from the Indiana DNR nursery, were a mix of oaks (white, red, black, and pin) and white pines, all appropriate for the community we are trying to protect."

"Our most immediate stewardship concern," continues Quinlan, "is to guarantee a high rate of survival for the young trees. We will continue to take out invasive species like the alien autumn olive, as well as some natives, such as sumacs, that may crowd out the new trees. Any other desirable trees--maples, black gums, other kinds of oak--that may show up in the project area will be left alone." The restoration plan for this project will focus on keeping invasives at bay, with little emphasis on planting understory species in the short term.

—Ron Trigg