Twenty-six volunteers attend a
woodland restoration event hosted by the University of Illinois, College of
ACES - Forest Resource Center and the River to River Cooperative Weed
Management Area (CWMA) to remove invasive burning bush or fire shrub from the
forest around the Dixon Springs Agricultural Center.
Dixon Springs Agricultural Center
(DSAC), established in 1934 on 5,100 acres of un-glaciated land, is special
place nestled within the Shawnee National Forest (NF) - dedicated to agronomic
research that connects land managers in Southern Illinois to research
priorities of the University of Illinois College of ACES and Veterinary
Medicine. The DSAC facility sits directly adjacent to the Shawnee NF
within an area of Illinois designated as a Conservation Opportunity Area (COA)
by the Illinois Wildlife Action Plan. There are three COA’s in the
southernmost 11 counties of Illinois. These COA’s are areas where there
are important wildlife and habitat resources, coupled with the potential
networks and organizations to conserve these resources. One of the most
important aspects of conserving wildlife and habitat resources is the
management of invasive species.
Burning bush has been prohibited
from sale in three states (Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire)
because of its invasive potential. Invasion of burning bush, like other
woody invasive species, may out-compete native forest understory plants and
cause decreased biodiversity in forests. Invasive burning bush can be
found in Southern Illinois, in forested land surrounding homes or neighborhoods
with ornamental plantings. It is estimated that burning bush has been in
landscaping around the DSAC buildings for fifty years, and now hundreds of
plants can be found in the forest understory. Recognizing the problem,
Jim Kirkland, director of the Forest Resource Center, decided to plan a
Woodland Restoration Event in coordination with the River to River CWMA to
preserve the natural resources around the DSAC.
On Saturday, November 2nd,
2013, volunteers gathered in the DSAC dormitory basement to learn how to
identify burning bush and three other woody invasive species – bush
honeysuckle, autumn olive, and multiflora rose. Individuals represented
all skill levels in land management, and were taught all the techniques
necessary for invasive species control. Several groups were represented,
including the Southeastern Illinois Prescribed Burn Association (SIPBA),
Illinois Forestry Association, University of Illinois Master Gardeners and
Master Naturalists, Southern Illinois University Department of Forestry and
Society of American Foresters Student Chapter, and Smith Tree Farm LLC.
Volunteers with chainsaws, hand saws, and loppers cut the woody plants at 6
inches or less from the ground surface. Then certified pesticide
applicators applied a 25% solution of glyphosate in water, mixed with blue dye
so that it was easy to track the cut surfaces that had been treated. Cut
surfaces were treated within 10 minutes or less to ensure the root system takes
up the herbicide. Since seeds were present, the plants were left in the
location where they were cut. Dragging the plants to another location
would have spread the seeds and contributed to the invasive problem in the
future. It is estimated that volunteers were able to control invasive
species on approximately 2 acres of DSAC land, mostly focusing on the edges of
the woodland, since that is where mature plants were producing the most
seed.
Following the Woodland Restoration
Event, volunteers were treated to a meal of hearty bean stew with cornbread and
desert, compliments of the Forest Resource Center. Several volunteers
stayed on in the afternoon to hear a presentation for Southeastern Prescribed
Burn Association (SIPBA) members by Dr. Charles Ruffner from Southern Illinois
University, on identifying the right weather conditions for conducting
prescribed burns for land management.
Although much restoration work was
accomplished, yearly follow-up events will be necessary to fully restore the
woodland. Thank you to all the volunteers that participated! If you
would like information about similar upcoming events, please contact Karla
Gage, River to River CWMA Coordinator at rtrcwma@gmail.com.
Please see
this link for more event photos.
