Unit D: Northshore Savanna (remnant)

Unit D is an area of former pasture land that is primarily south facing and located along the north shore of the shrub/carr swamp.  Old aerial photography indicates that this area was at one time open land for the most part, with scattered clumps of trees mostly along the shore of the swamp.  Due to years of neglect and fire suppression, the area is now young dry/mesic (Oak/Hickory) forest with very little non-native vegetation.  Our goal is to thin the canopy and remove all mesophytic tree species including Red Maple, American Elm and White and Green Ash trees as well as the gray dogwood that is now beginning to die off due to the lack of sunlight in the lower part of the forest canopy.  This in conjunction with the re-introduction of prescribed fires on a 1 to 3 year basis will help to unveil what we hope is a diverse collection of native prairie and savanna plant species leftover from when the area was open pasture.

The beginning: Spring 2008

Spring 2008: Our first prescribed burn at Black Cherry Hollow was in an old forest clearing on the west end of Unit D where we used to have bonfires back in the 1990's.  The primary fuel for this fire was black oak leaf litter with some non-native grass species leftover from when the area was pasture land.

Summer 2008: Summer in the small forest opening after the first prescribed burn

Summer 2008: Several native plants were found blooming in the small clearing including thimbleweed, wild bergamot, Illinois tick-trefoil, pointed-leaved tick trefoil, butterfly weed and a native panic grass (dichanthelium).

Spring 2009: The small clearing in Unit D is burned again in March of 2009.

Spring 2011: The north end of Unit D is burned, but doesn't include the small clearing on the west end

Spring 2011: This photo shows the northeast corner of Unit D which was part of the yard around the house up until this year.  Because this area was mowed on a regular basis, very little native vegetation is present.

Spring 2011: The area burned along the north end of Unit D is cleared of gray dogwood

and dead elm trees to expose the ground to more sunlight

Spring 2012: The north end of Unit D is burned on March 17.  We had a very early spring this year with a few March days in the 80's!!  This photo is looking south with the shrub/carr swamp seen in the background.

Spring 2012: This photo is looking west along the south end of Unit D where

the area transitions to the shrub/carr swamp.

 

Spring 2012: This photo is looking north from the south end of Unit D.  The young Oak/Hickory forest has grown very dense as a result of years of fire suppression.  Several Elm trees have died and are falling over and creating a thick tangled understory with little to no herbaceous layer.

Summer 2012: This photo is looking west from the east end of Unit D where

gray dogwood was cleared in the Spring of 2011

Summer 2012: The steep south facing slope along the north end of Unit D was planted with Big Bluestem after we cleared the area of gray dogwood and multi-flora rose in 2011.  The grass has developed exceptionally well here.

Spring 2013: After some additional thinning of gray dogwood and mesophytic tree species along

the south end of Unit D, the entire Unit is thoroughly burned.  This was probably one of our best burns ever.

Spring 2013: This photo is looking east from the west edge of Unit D where the small forest

clearing is located.  The clearing was last burned in March of 2009.

Spring 2013: Fire carried well through the leaf litter in Unit D with around 90% burn coverage

Summer 2013: The shrub/carr swamp is almost visible now (to left)

after recent thinning of the forest understory

Summer 2013: Looking west across Unit D where we recently thinned the forest understory

Summer 2013: Looking south across Unit D toward the shrub/carr swamp located at the bottom of the hill