spring peeper meadow the restoration process julia bohnen and susan galatowitsch minnesota landscape...
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Spring Peeper Meadow The Restoration Process
Julia Bohnen and Susan Galatowitsch
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
History of Wetland Drainage in Minnesota
• More than 75% of wetlands in the Midwest have been drained
• Most drainage occurred 25-75 years ago
• In areas of intense agriculture, less than 5% of wetlands remain
Excavated Tile Line
Wetland Mitigation
• Federal and state laws require that losses of existing wetlands must be avoided or mitigated
• For every 1 acre of lost wetland, 2 acres must be restored
• Wetland losses primarily occur in urban areas now
Retrorse Sedge
Although much wetland restoration is happening, typically…
• Only hydrology is restored
• Little management occurs after initial construction
• Natural colonization is relied upon to
re-populate the plant community
• The full complement of wetland types
is not restored
Marsh Milkweed
Restored wetlands do not resemble the native wetlands they are replacing.
They do not exhibit the diversity of species nor the complex structure that natural wetlands would have exhibited.
Tree Frog on False White Aster
Even planted wetlands can have low diversity because
• Planting density is too low• There is a lack of aftercare• Plants are placed inappropriately
Tufted Loosestrife
Why Restore or Preserve Wetlands?
• Maintain hydrologic function
• Flood control
• Improve water quality
• Habitat
• Preserve our natural heritage
• RecreationInterpretive Sign at Spring Peeper Meadow
Spring Peeper Meadow
Is a project of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and the University of Minnesota that seeks to improve the practice
of wetland restoration in the Midwest.
Meadow Wildflowers
Spring Peeper Meadow was Funded to Demonstrate Successful Mitigation Practices
By Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources TrustFund through the Legislative Commission on MinnesotaResources (LCMR, now LCCMR)
And The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD)
Breaking Tile
Spring Peeper Meadow Landscape Context
• Located west of Chanhassen in Carver County
• Community context was a mosaic of Big Woods forest and savanna with prairie openings and depressional wetlands
• Rolling landscape
• Historically the area was a shallow wetland surrounded by Big Woods
A 30-acre purchase on the east edge of the Arboretum provided an opportunity to restore a shallow marsh with an extensive sedge meadow zone
The name “Spring Peeper Meadow” reflects our aspirations to restore a shallow depressional wetland and the full complement of species that would thrive in such a wetland.
The Opportunity
The Restoration Team
Arboretum Director – Peter Olin
Ecologist – Dr. Susan Galatowitsch
Landscape Ecologist – Fred Rozumalski
Horticulturist – Julia Bohnen
And many other professionals as needed
A Soil Core Sample
Spring Peeper Meadow Restoration Goals
1. Restore a biologically diverse sedge meadow wetland
2. Demonstrate site preparation, re-vegetation, and after-care practices
Spring Peeper Meadow – Pre-Restoration
• The land was acquired in 1995
• It had been drained and farmed for more than 80 years
• The basin was a monoculture of reed canary grass and corn grew on the uplands
Planning & Information Gathering
Watershed
Soil Types
Historic Plant Community
Past Land Use
Current Land Use
Projected Water Depth
Determine Model Plant Community
Original Concept Drawing
Steps in the Restoration Process
1. Site Preparation2. Restore Hydrology3. Re-introduce plants4. Aftercare
Planted Sedge Meadow Zone
Site Preparation
Series of herbicide applications Aug.-Sept.
1995 & May-Sept. 1996 Controlled burn September 1995
Break Tile October 1996
Seed Collection & Plant Production1995 and 1996
Seedcollecting
Greenhouseproduction
Nurseryproduction
Planting the Wetland
Dormant seed 115 speciesOct.-Nov. 1996
First water on siteSpring 1997
Plant over 60,000 sedges & forbs May-June 1997
Weed Management
A reed canary grass plant Spot treatment
with Rodeo April-June
A treated reed canary grass plant
Restoration Inputs are Carefully Documented
Plant species
Seedling numbers
Seed quantities
Labor hours by task
Seed collecting
Mixing seedPlanted sedges
Ongoing Research At Spring Peeper Meadow
Vegetation Survey, Large PlotVegetation Survey, Small PlotAmphibian SurveyBreeding Bird SurveySurface HydrologySeed Bank AssaySeed Longevity AssayMonarch Butterfly Study
Lessons Learned at Spring Peeper Meadow
Seeding (vs. planting) is a cost efficient means of restoring a diverse sedge meadow plant community
Seeding allows species to find an appropriate niche
Have contingency plans to account for uncertain hydrology
Adequate site preparation and aftercare are important for plant diversity and community development
Reed canary grass is still present in the plant community, but cover was less than 1% in each of 28 survey plots both in 2000 and 2004
Upland Management
The integrity of the Spring Peeper Meadow wetland restoration is tied to the landscape around it and to that end, we have restored and continue to manage the uplands around the meadow.
Forest Restoration Prairie and Forest Restorations
Invasive Species Management
Reed Canary GrassBuckthornLeafy SpurgeGarlic MustardBirdsfoot TrefoilCrown VetchPurple Loosestrife
Buckthorn Removal Project on the Oak Knoll
Before After
Prairie and Savanna Restoration
Historically, small pockets of prairie and savanna were common near the Arboretum
Our restored prairies and savanna are managed with herbicides and prescribed burns
Forest Restoration
Big Woods – 1999Bare root, dense initial planting strategy, different sized trees, 16 tree and shrub species,
Sudan Field – 2004Direct seeded, local seed source, 12 tree and shrub species
Berens – 2006 - 2007Bare-root, dense initial planting strategy, 11 tree species