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o5 I ECOLOGICAL/LAND <br />RESOURCES PLAN <br />The existing ecological and land resources and their continued protection <br />and management are vital to the continuance of Woodland Trails Park as <br />a natural resources based park. Today the park consists mostly of forest <br />land, with some wetland and prairie/herbaceous areas. Historically, the <br />land where the park is located was grassland and savanna with stands of <br />aspen and oak openings. By prohibiting the natural occurrence of fire on the <br />landscape, forest succession has turned the park into mostly woodland. By <br />remembering the historical landscape, attempting to maintain some of aspen <br />stands in the park, and emphasizing a diverse range of plant species, the City <br />of Elk River hopes to keep Woodland Trails a unique ecological landscape <br />and successful nature -based park. <br />The City of Elk River Forest Resource Management Plan, completed in 2016, <br />identifies Woodland Trails Park's prairie and oak forest areas as moderate <br />to high priority for management within the city. The following text and <br />recommendations are taken from the Forest Resource Management Plan: <br />Forest management can be divided into two categories; active forest <br />management and passive/reactive forest management. Active forest <br />management entails a continuous assessment of forest resources, forest <br />health, disease and invasive species management, habitat assessment <br />and modification, and species composition; depending on the desired <br />end product this process may be labor intensive. Passive/reactive forest <br />management consists of managing hazards, invasive species, and diseases <br />as time and resources permit; substantial resources may still be required; <br />however significantly less time is required than active forest management. <br />In the City of Elk River, a combination of active and passive forest <br />management techniques should be utilized to ensure the long term viability <br />of the forest resources. Consideration should be given to minimize impact <br />DRAFT JULY 7 ','016 <br />F' <br />dY <br />k'q F'r <br />•y A <br />F' <br />k <br />I <br />