Oak Savannah - a Bigger Make-over Begins!

What's happening in the Oak Savannah? It looks... different, right?

We have completed the first step in a series of landscaping restoration make-overs. The invasive shrub that has been plaguing the Chicago Forest Preserves for decades has been completely cut out of our nature preserve.

The European Buckthorn shrub was brought to the U.S. by early settlers but has become a relentless invasive affecting woodland areas in Northeastern Illinois. It tends to crowd out the native grasses, flowers, and trees, hogging all of the sunlight, and competing for resources in the soil. It's also notoriously difficult to remove without the help of loppers or chain-saws, chippers and herbicide.

For the last 25 years or so students and staff have labored with cutting and prescribed burning to remove it each fall but if not consistently and heavily managed the buckthorn always seems to win! (See the previous blog post for pictures from 1992 - 2002)

Here are some shots from the last seven years of work:



Our annual fall buckthorn removal days have always been fun and rewarding. We learn how to identify the invaders so as to hopefully avoid cutting down juvenile oak trees - yikes! We familiarize ourselves with the species found in this ecosystem, we clear out trash and tennis balls, and some years we even stay motivated to the beats Maine East Rhythm Project. However, even with a turnout of 75 students and huge piles of buckthorn stacked up outside the fence, we only get to a fraction of what's there and the resprouts can be very aggressive. Realization finally struck - we needed to call in the pros. After a freshmen Tree Project fundraiser and some help from the District, a crew of professionals has gone in and removed it ALL this past weekend. Here are a few images after the cut:



You can now see the ephemeral pond from all sides :O! The dormant native seeds now have ample sunlight in order to flourish and support native critters. The young Oak and Shagbark Hickory trees are free to grow and produce mast (acorns & hickory nuts) for wildlife. The nesting pair of kestrel hawks may have more visibility and clearance to catch prey. Basically, our 3/4-acre Oak Savannah, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, now has another chance to rebound.

This is all very exciting and definitely cause for some celebration. However, we're not out of the buckthorn woods yet. The herbicide should penetrate into the roots and kill most, but there will be resprouts and there are countless seeds in the soil just waiting to emerge. Maintenance is key and we will work each fall to keep them at bay but this is definitely a more manageable task.

Future plans include fundraising for a new fence, path, trail signs, and deck with seating around the pond to complete our nature-lover's respite. The Ecology Club's goal is to renew this valuable resource for the benefit our students, staff, community and native critters. Imagine a place to go and learn about poetry in your English class, or capture images in Photo, count species in Biology, or analyze water quality in Geology, Environmental Science, or Chemistry.

We are on our way :)! We just might need a money tree, donations and/or fundraisers. And we might need to expand our Oak Savannah planning committee. So if you'd like to be a part of this transformation, contact Mrs. Riha, Ms. Lee, or Mrs. Gallagher about getting your department, club, or just you involved. We'd love to make this a group effort!

~S. Childress Riha