At this stage, the ground in the newly-cleared areas looks a bit messy and rough, but this will change in the spring. After the snow melts, we will do a second pass to cut the stumps down closer to ground level, and to grind up the woody debris.
Since large areas of our land have been covered with extremely dense growth of glossy buckthorn, common buckthorn, honeysuckle, multiflora rose, spindlebush, barberry and other invasive shrubs, the management plan involves clearing some large areas of land. We are leaving some of the native species of trees, to provide food and shelter for wildlife. However, portions of the land will look very different, because so much of the current invasive shrub growth is being removed. This work will also result in improved trails for walking and improved views from those trails.
At this stage, the ground in the newly-cleared areas looks a bit messy and rough, but this will change in the spring. After the snow melts, we will do a second pass to cut the stumps down closer to ground level, and to grind up the woody debris.
0 Comments
Clearing work has begun on the two once-and-future fields adjacent to the brook. A second pass will be done on these fields in the spring to grind the stumps, which are currently buried in deep snow, down to ground level. The clearing will benefit the native trees that we have left, including the big sugar maple tree shown below, and the restored fields will eventually attract birds, such as woodcock, that need open areas for their mating rituals.
After completion of these two fields, the clearing work will move uphill to some other portions of our land. The brontosaurus machine arrived today, and will begin land clearing work tomorrow, Jan. 8. Our contractor is Faun Koplovsky, owner of Land and Mowing Solutions. Faun has many years of experience doing wildlife habitat restoration projects, similar to this one, all over New England. We are delighted to have his help with this project!
See other recent blog posts below for discussion of the background and goals of this project. We are planning a wildlife habitat restoration project on the Eastern portion of the property, beginning January 7, 2019. The goals are:
|
Archives
September 2022
AuthorsTom and Patricia Norton have owned this land since June 2013. We love coming to Dothan Brook frequently to explore the trails, to watch the Brook, and to see how many different species of plants and animals we can find. We are pleased to welcome you to this beautiful land. Categories |