Science & Outdoors
A portion of Schmeeckle Reserve is shown here prior to the buckthorn removal by the society of Ethnobiology.
Society of Ethnobiology presents poster at national conference
Science and Outdoors Reporter
Aaron Sedgwick, president of the Society of Enthnobiology at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, presented a poster at the SOE National Conference. The poster was of the collaborative efforts to restore a portion of Schmeeckle Reserve with the Society of Ecological Restoration. The conference was at Tulane University in New Orleans, La. April 1-4, 2009.
The restoration efforts have already begun. Zachary Grycan, Schmeeckle Reserve project manager, obtained permission from the director of Schmeeckle Reserve, Ron Zimmerman to work on a two-acre parcel. Historical information shows there are three ecotones in the Schmeeckle area. An ecotone is a zone of transition between the ecosystems where plants and animals from two or more ecosystems are found. In this case, they are prairie, oak savannah and jack pine barren. The area has a park-like appearance as a result of Native American fire management. Nature is interrelated; when one link is manipulated it affects other links in the natural chain of events. It is hoped that the restoration of the area to its native habitat will encourage the return of native animal species, too.
A pilot study was conducted and the data was downloaded into computer programs. The computer program determined the numbers of fixed-radius plot samples that are needed for each species found on the pilot plots.
“For example, only a handful of plots were sampled for paper birch,” Grycan said. “But black cherry and buckthorn were found on most plots.”
The actual study sampled for woody stems to establish a baseline of information as to what trees, shrubs and plants currently exist on the two-acre parcel. The baseline information can be used to gauge the progress of the project in the future.
Glossy buckthorn is the most prevalent exotic invasive species. Pennsylvania sedge is the most prevalent native invasive species and it had been discussed as to whether to eradicate it as well. Aspen in the parcel may also be eradicated because it is not a part of the northern hardwoods ecosystem. However, the initial efforts are being concentrated on glossy buckthorn and tartarian honeysuckle.
Restoration has already begun. On Sunday, March 29, Grycan, Justin Kania and Sedgwick began removing buckthorn from the parcel. They used handheld pruning saws borrowed from the Student Society of Arboriculture to cut the buckthorn down. Roundup was then sprayed on the exposed stubs to kill the roots of the buckthorn so they won’t resprout. The slash was carried to the Visitor Center parking lot and piled to be removed by the Schmeeckle maintenance crew at a later time. A seed mix of wild native plants will be sown over the two acres when the invasive species has been removed.
“It will be interesting to see what forbs come back when the shrub canopy has been removed,” Grycan said.
Sedgwick said their immediate goals are the same: to eradicate the invasive species. In the future they would like to introduce fire as a management tool with the help of the UW-SP Fire Crew. They would also like to send some of the plants to a toxicology lab in Madison to see if there is any residue Roundup herbicide in the plants. If the tests are negative, SOE would like to use the two acres for sustainable wild edible plants and cordage. However, the main goal is to use it for educational purposes, such as plant identification through the seasons.
