Houlton Farm Planning Committee Meeting 2016-02-02

Home Browse Search

sparse trees and floodplain forest - is located on the southwestern portion of the property along the Mississippi. Finally, a degraded non-native woodland and grassland area runs along the western edge of the property. There have not been any significant restoration efforts on the property, though the City of Elk River has maintained access and fire breaks around the farm field and has done minimal spot spraying of invasive herbaceous plants. The majority of the property is highly degraded, both in terms of low native species diversity and in the presence of non-native invasive species. A lack of fire has allowed woody species - both native and non-native - to become overabundant in historically prairie and savanna areas, leading to a loss of these habitats. The few remaining grassland pockets are small, encroached upon by woody plants, and dominated by non-native species such as smooth brome and Kentucky bluegrass. Common buckthorn dominates many areas of the woodland understory, while prickly ash is overabundant in some areas and creeping Charlie is present throughout the property. Other non-native herbaceous species are present, especially along the edges of the agricultural field. Other issues include the numerous rock and debris piles throughout the property and the significant natural erosion along a portion of the Mississippi on the south side of the property. While these are lower priority issues in terms of restoration of the property, they should be given consideration if time and budgets allow. Finally, future issues should be considered as well. For example, the large contingent of ash trees on the property is at risk from the emerald ash borer. Understanding these risks and their likelihoods can help design and prepare future management strategies. Natural Resource Management Recommendations Based on the natural resource inventory and assessment, the landowner's past management activities, the city's current goals, as well as general ecological guidelines for this landscape set by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, this plan recommends restoring native prairie and savanna plant communities on the site. Restoration is divided into two phases. The first phase focuses on the removal of non- native woody brush from the entire property, concentrating first on the floodplain forest ring around the farm field. As time and budget allows, overabundant native woody species should be thinned on these same units. Removal should be conducted in the fall and winter, and may be done through a combination of cutting and treating and brush mowing in certain areas. Follow-up treatment in subsequent years will focus on treating re -sprouts and newly emerged seedlings. The second phase would focus on prairie and savanna restoration and enhancement Specific restoration activities include conducting controlled burns and prudently targeting invasive species with systemic herbicides. Conversion of the agricultural field to prairie should occur in the fall after the crop is harvested, and may occur in multiple stages. Fall seeding should be followed by three maintenance mows the following year. Planting and seeding other units with appropriate native shrubs, grasses, sedges, and fortis will also help to add species and structural diversity to the site. Continued maintenance of these areas will involve follow-up herbicide treatments, rotating prescribed burns and supplemental Friends of the Mississippi W. H. Houlton Conservation Area NRAIP N.