Healthy Forest Fund: Such an impact in our preserves!

Thanks to our Healthy Forest Fund – and all who have contributed to it – our nature preserves and 12 miles of foot trails are in far better condition than they have been in previous summers. The hard-working stewardship team, led by Land Steward Bill Rucker, started out the summer by cutting back encroaching vegetation along trails (decreasing hikers’ risk from ticks) and rerouting two excessively steep stretches of trail in Blair and Peach Preserves. To improve forest health, the team removed garlic mustard and wineberry from Canaan, Baker, and Bluebell Preserves, and continue work to remove invasive privet, autumn-olive, burning bush, and Asian bittersweet along Trace Trail in Blair Preserve and around Gillett Pond in Mary Beth Preserve. Spicebush seedlings were planted around that pond, and other native species will be added in areas invasive plants were removed.

In Lindy’s Preserve, volunteers worked with Bill to remove multiflora rose from the old-growth forest along Magic Is Real Trail. Bill, with help from Rural Action and a volunteer, also identified and rapidly responded to remove a recently discovered patch of lesser celandine in Bluebell Preserve. This highly invasive plant could threaten the precious, native wildflowers there.

All of this important work is made possible by the Healthy Forest Fund, which supports our half-time land steward. Because of the fund, we also are engaging AmeriCorps members, interns, and volunteers to help maintain trails and control invasive species. Each hour Bill works leverages several additional hours of work by the stewardship assistants he supervises. This summer, Bill’s team includes two half-time AmeriCorps members, hosted in partnership with Rural Action, and three undergraduate student interns from Ohio University.

You can help by donating to the Healthy Forest Fund. All donations support land stewardship efforts like these!

The summer crew working with Bill Rucker includes (above) Anna Dailey (OU junior, Biological Sciences); AmeriCorps members Fergus Theibert and Andrew Champagne ; Kendra Spencer (OU senior, Environmental Science & Sustainability); and Meghan Martin (OU junior, Environmental Science & Sustainability).