Ecostewards take on the invasives in the Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom in 2015
For several years the Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa crews worked very hard, often alongside volunteers, to address the persistent invasive plant problems in the woodland. This was funded through an Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund grant but when the funding ran out, the plants remained. The St. Paul Parks and Recreation department in 2015 started the Ecostewards program where volunteers are trained in what work needs to be done to improve the state of the woodland and importantly given some context why the work needs to get done. These volunteers are given a specific portion of the woodland to work in and then report back to the city in a very simple form via email or a phone call or message what was done and the chance to give the city staff any heads up of what work needs to be done-ie the burkdock plants are getting seed heads now-or interesting phenology-hey I found a puff ball mushroom big as a football.
The program started in spring of 2015 and was a great success! Some highlights:
Evolution of the invasive plant problem in the Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom: Buckthorn played a key role in getting the Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom project started. Neighbors noticed more and more buckthorn in the woodland. It took many hours to cut and remove these plants. Unfortunately with the increased sunlight and growing space-this is when burdock took off. It was already there but not as predominant because of the shading from the buckthorn. At the same time garlic mustard, likewise already there but not as common, also got going; so volunteers have been pulling out garlic mustard before it goes to seed and cutting off the buckthorn seed heads. One of the volunteers heard from others battling the same scenario in the American Indian Magnet School’s “big urban woods school forest” on the eastside of St. Paul, that after 5 years of burdock seed removal the population was significantly reduced and other native plants, with seeds just waiting in the soil, are coming back. As the Ecostewards worked in the woodland they also noticed that buckthorn was reappearing and some of the plants were large enough to be producing seeds, so these were cut and removed in fall of 2015. Control of invasive plants will be an on-going issue in the woodland and that is why the Ecostewards are so important.
For several years the Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa crews worked very hard, often alongside volunteers, to address the persistent invasive plant problems in the woodland. This was funded through an Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund grant but when the funding ran out, the plants remained. The St. Paul Parks and Recreation department in 2015 started the Ecostewards program where volunteers are trained in what work needs to be done to improve the state of the woodland and importantly given some context why the work needs to get done. These volunteers are given a specific portion of the woodland to work in and then report back to the city in a very simple form via email or a phone call or message what was done and the chance to give the city staff any heads up of what work needs to be done-ie the burkdock plants are getting seed heads now-or interesting phenology-hey I found a puff ball mushroom big as a football.
The program started in spring of 2015 and was a great success! Some highlights:
- 10 ecostewards signed up and worked in the oak savannah, wet forest, and prairie areas
- These 10 ecostewards put in 135 hours of volunteer time!
- Besides invasives control, ecostewards harvested and spread Sprengel’s sedge seeds where other invasive plants had been removed.
- For more information about this go to http://www.stpaul.gov/index.aspx?NID=5296
- Learn more about one of the stellar volunteers, Steve McVay at http://www.stpaul.gov/index.aspx?NID=5299
Evolution of the invasive plant problem in the Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom: Buckthorn played a key role in getting the Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom project started. Neighbors noticed more and more buckthorn in the woodland. It took many hours to cut and remove these plants. Unfortunately with the increased sunlight and growing space-this is when burdock took off. It was already there but not as predominant because of the shading from the buckthorn. At the same time garlic mustard, likewise already there but not as common, also got going; so volunteers have been pulling out garlic mustard before it goes to seed and cutting off the buckthorn seed heads. One of the volunteers heard from others battling the same scenario in the American Indian Magnet School’s “big urban woods school forest” on the eastside of St. Paul, that after 5 years of burdock seed removal the population was significantly reduced and other native plants, with seeds just waiting in the soil, are coming back. As the Ecostewards worked in the woodland they also noticed that buckthorn was reappearing and some of the plants were large enough to be producing seeds, so these were cut and removed in fall of 2015. Control of invasive plants will be an on-going issue in the woodland and that is why the Ecostewards are so important.
