early nov 2004 022.jpgoaksavannas.org/pdf/napc 2004 power point talk revised.pdf · • many...

http://www.pleasantvalleyconservancy.org

Oak savanna restoration:Problems and Possibilities

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• 140 acre natural area• In the Driftless Area of western Dane

County• Presettlement: predominantly oak

savanna• Some prairie/oak savanna remained

through years of ag use• Large open-grown oaks

Pleasant Valley Conservancy


Clearing the South Slope

Feb 1997 Sep 1999

Note phone box for positioning


Bur oaks on dolomite


White oaks on sandstone


Problems

• Removal of troublesome trees– Aspen removed by girdling

• Black walnut– Allelopathic (Juglone)

• Brambles– Greatly stimulated by increased light regime

• Honeysuckle– Time consuming to remove, seed bank a problem

• Buckthorn– Allelopathic (buckthorn desert), seed bank a problem

• Prickly ash


Invasive shrubsHoneysuckle (Lonicera)

Buckthorn (Rhamnus)

Brambles (Rubus)


Black Walnut

• Juglans niger• At its northern range in

our area• Fire sensitive• Not part of the presettlement

vegetation• Allelopathic: produces juglone

which is toxic to many nativeplants

• We removed during restoration


Black walnut

There may be a market


Black walnut

• Getting the wood tomarket may be difficult

• You don’t want todestroy your savannadragging out logs!

• Low impact log skidder• Must have snow


Getting rid of the cut wood

• Savanna restorationgenerates lots offirewood

• Market not very good• Trade wood for work• In return for getting

the firewood free, thisneighbor has removedall downed timber in acareful manner


In the early years, there was little fuel and burns were difficult. We had to do extensive stripping to get an area burned.

Savanna Controlled Burns


Savanna controlled burns

• Kill invasiveshrubs

• Expose the soilso that new plantscan get startedafter seeding

• Help to removeslash and fallendead wood

• Stimulate growthof savanna forbsand grasses


• Purple milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens)

• State endangered• Once common in oak savannas• Now a rare species• Appeared in our savanna

soon after clearing anda burn

• We now have seven locationsat Pleasant Valley

• Have obtained seed set twice

Plants of the Savanna


Plants of the Savanna

• Eupatoriumsessilifolium,Upland boneset[Threatened inWisconsin]


Plants of the savanna

• Dodecatheon meadiiShooting star


Plants ofthe Savanna

• Agastache nepetoidesGiant yellow hyssop[Threatened inWisconsin]

• Introduced from anotherDane County source

• Has done extremely wellin our savanna


Restoration requires planting

• Many savanna plants had survived years of neglect, but were greatly suppressed

• Bringing in light after clearing strongly stimulated growth. For example, shooting star.

• However, distribution was spotty and often absent• Solution: Collect seed from savanna remnants and

plant in newly cleared areas• Result: expansion of savanna forbs and grasses


Results of planting savannas

• Excellent growth of savanna grasses– Elymus hystrix, bottle brush– Elymus villosus, silky rye– Elymus riparius, woodland rye– Bromus pubescens, woodland brome

• Excellent growth of savanna forbs– Eupatorium purpureum, woodland Joe Pye weed– Agastache nepetoides, giant yellow hyssop (threatened in Wisconsin)– Solidago flexicaulis, zigzag goldenrod– Solidago ulmifolius, elm-leaf goldenrod– Solidago speciosa, showy goldenrod– Campanula americana, tall American bellflower– Arnoglossum atriplicifolium, pale Indian plantain– Aster sagittifolius, arrow-leafed aster


Seed collecting field day

Girl Scouts of western Dane County participate in a seed collecting field day. All species planted at Pleasant Valley Conservancy have come from hand-collected seeds.

The White Oak Savanna is visible in the background.


Planting the Savanna

Planting is done in the fall, after the burn, onto bare ground created by the fire. Seeds were hand-collected earlier in the fall.

Nov. 20, 2003


Red-headed Woodpecker

• A typical savannaspecies

• Became establishedin the savannaalmost as soonas it was clearedand opened

• Nesting andjuveniles confirmed

• Richard King, U.S. Fish and WildlifeService


Tree removal on a 2.1 acre savanna restorationTree species Number Diameter

(inches)Betula papyrifera 2 13.5-14

Quercus velutina 2 12-39

Prunus serotina 5 3.5-11

Ulmus rubra 58 4-12.5

Celtis occidentalis 3 4.5-10

Juniperus virginiana 1 4

Juglans niger 99 3.5-32

Also numerous shrubs (Lonicera sp.) Xanthoxylum

Time involved: 1 week, 6 people, 240 hours


Tree data on 2.1 acre savanna

Age classes: Years (estimate)

Species 1-10 >10-20 >20-30 >30-40 >40-50 >50-60 >60-70 >70

Age of oldest tree, yrs

Total number of trees Comment

Basswood 3 10 5 2 1 0 0 1 74.5 22Birch 2 8 13 7 6 0 0 0 43.9 36Black oak 4 28 11 21 8 6 4 10 156 92Bur oak 0 11 12 4 1 1 2 9 160 40Cherry 0 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 44 5 All cutElm 0 14 19 11 11 2 1 1 72 59 All cutHackberry 2 7 6 7 2 0 0 0 40 24Hickory 0 4 0 4 1 0 0 1 73 10Black walnut 0 20 27 15 13 12 5 7 112 99 All cutWhite oak 5 24 15 12 6 1 1 6 146 70

457 Grand total

early nov 2004 022.jpgoaksavannas.org/pdf/napc 2004 power point talk revised.pdf · • many...

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