Habitat restoration for home owners

Habitat Restoration for Home Owners

Habitat restoration isn't only for the national or regional park services. Home owners can make a significant difference by restoring part or all of their property to its native state.

Allowing property to remain natural is different than many might think. Some believe that stepping back and allowing mother nature to take over the land is the "natural" thing to do. This was OK before humans began moving plant species around the globe and introducing non-native plants to other places.

Native plants now struggle to compete with foreign, and sometimes aggressive species. Habitat restoration with human intervention is required so we can help fix what we broke.

A section of our back dune area that has been cleared of underbrush. It is looking towards the lower swamp forest.

An Oak Openings Habitat Restoration Project

We live on 8 acres situated in the Oak Openings Region of Northwest Ohio. Our property is wooded mostly with black oak and other hardwoods. As I learned more about the significance of the Oak Openings Region I decided to restore our property to its natural state.

Our 8 acres has much of the classic Oak Openings look and feel. We have higher sand dunes in the front and back of the property with a low swamp forest area in the middle. The "swamp" contains standing water much of the year. The dunes areas are dry and sandy. This is typical of the topography and water table changes in the Oak Openings Region.

Where to start?

I had made the decision to take on the habitat restoration project but that was the easy part. Convincing my wife that this was a good thing was far more difficult. She was of the traditional mind set that a natural site was one that was left alone, allowing nature to do its thing. She also thinks I'm crazy!

I used to think the same way until I realized that allowing any ol' plant to grow and thrive wasn't always a good thing. When we built our house we cleared only what was necessary to put in a driveway and build the house. Everything else was left to grow on its own.

Learn the native plant species

One of the initial steps of the habitat restoration was to learn and identify the native (and non-native) plants and trees that grow here. In my case identifying what was native to the Oak Openings was key.

Native plants are considered to be the ones that were here prior to the settlement of this area by Europeans. Non-native plants are the ones that have since been introduced by settlers. Invasive plants are typically non-native plants that take over and choke out the native plants.

Its critical to learn what is native and what isn't. What used to be a weed to me before might now be a native plant that I allow to grow. The weeds are the non-native plants that steal space from the native plants. The sooner you can tell them apart the sooner you can begin the habitat restoration process.

A section of our front dune area that has been cleared of the maple saplings.

Remove the non-natives and invasive plants

My wife was allowing me to proceed (under formal protest) and I learned the basics about our native plants. The next step was to begin the actual habitat restoration process.

I began by removing some of the non-native trees on the sand dune areas. Maple trees are native to much of North America but not necessarily to the dunes of the Oak Openings Region. Maples create a lower canopy of leaves beneath the higher oak tree canopy.

The lower canopy reduces the already reduced sunlight from reaching the forest floor. This in turn severely limits other native plants from growing.

Keep brush piles if possible

Initially I burned the maple saplings as I cut them down. This kept things tidy and immediately produced the more open affect the native plant needed. But this isn't necessarily the best for the habitat restoration. As I proceeded with other areas I created brush piles with the small trees that I removed.

The brush piles are beneficial to attracting wild life back to the area. Birds will go inside these piles to get out of stormy weather. Some will also nest in them. We currently have a pair of Cardinals using one of the piles for nesting.

If possible leave the brush piles around for a year or so before they are burned. They will attract different wildlife.

A controlled burn

The next habitat restoration phase was a bit more drastic. A controlled burn(or prescribed burn) was used to help revitalize the newly cleared area. The fire burns the leaves on the forest floor which releases carbon. The carbon provides excellent nutrients to the soil.

In addition the fire kills off the non-native species that are intolerant to it. The native oak trees and other deep-rooted plants can tolerate the fire and actually thrive as a result of it.

After a controlled burn at Oak Openings Preserve

After a controlled burn in Oak Openings Preserve

I waited until early April when the the leaves were dry enough to burn. There also wasn't too much new growth showing yet. I then raked a "path" around the area to to control where the fire would burn.

I started at one end and allowed the fire to slowly move across the entire area. Make sure the wind is not strong or else your burn won't be controlled when it jumps the path you created to control it.

My controlled burn was quite an event. The neighbor was ready to call the fire department, a few cars stopped along the road, and the charred black leaves were a big surprise to other residents in the area. It also almost put an end to my wife's acceptance of the habitat restoration project.

Note: If you do this please make sure you aren't violating any local laws or regulations regarding open fires.

If you can't burn

A controlled burn isn't an option if it violates local codes. It also might not be appreciated by your neighbors. If you can't burn, the next best thing is a lawnmower. Use can a lawnmower with the deck set high to control the woody plants and other weeds that will try to grow back.

It is also an effective way to control the non-native plants that may grow while your native seeds are taking hold. The native plants won't grow more than a few inches during the first year. The lawnmower can take out the weeds while not hurting the new plants.

Start pulling weeds

Even though your habitat restoration will be native that doesn't mean you won't have to still remove the weeds. The fire will get some of them if you do a controlled burn. The fire will also expose the soil and allow seeds to grow. Many of these seeds will be from non-native and invasive plants that have gone un-checked for years.

In the Oak Openings region many of these invasive plants include garlic mustard, flora rose, and honeysuckle.

The weed control process is a long one and the most time consuming part of the habitat restoration process. It takes a while to get a handle on them.

My front dune area was basically void of weeds. After the removal of the maple saplings and the controlled burn the savanna sprung to life with native plants.

My back area was a different story. It had (and still has just about every invasive plant known to the area. A lot of spare time is spent pulling out the weeds as they continue to grow.

I have also been able to successfully use weed control products like Roundup. If you are careful you can spot spray the invasive plants while allowing the natives to grow. Roundup Brush and Weed killer is also useful for controlling the maples as they try to sprout back from the stumps. It also works well on flora rose and other tough bushy plants that needs to be removed.

Native plants and native seeds

The next thing I did was to determine what native plants and wild flowers that would do well in the different soils on my lot. I was able to locate some native plants that were already started. I also purchased some native wildflower seeds which I planted. Most have taken hold very well.

That's the nice thing about native plants, they are meant to grow in the soils they are native to. No more trying to get annual flowers to grow in my sandy soil. They aren't meant to be there.

No habitat restoration is complete without native plants.

Preserve the standing water

One of the characteristics of the Oak Openings Region is standing water in many areas for much of the year. This feature of our area has been misunderstood and unappreciated since it was settled in the early 1800s. The first thing everyone wants to do is drain the water. I was one who didn't initially understand its importance.

When we first moved to this spot there were areas in our swamp forest that had standing water 2 feet deep at times. Our goal was to drain it and keep it drained, which we were fairly successful at doing. Since my "awakening" to the Oak Openings Region I am doing everything I can to keep the water standing and not drain it.

The water is precious to so many native plant and animal species that live here. Many rare species rely on the seasonal water to thrive. Since extensive draining began in Lucas County in the mid 1800s much of the wet prairies and swamp forest have been dried up. The native plants and animals have gone along with the water.

Maintaining naturally standing water is crucial in a successful habitat restoration project.

What about a nice green lawn?

I have given up on the picture-perfect turf lawn. I finally realized that the yellow sand around our house isn't meant to grow traditional grass. I no longer fertilize it or go crazy trying to make it grow. Instead I am allowing it to become naturally native again. Its all part of the habitat restoration project.

Eventually I will probably plant more native seeds or allow the sedge grass to take it over. In the mean time I will keep up with controlling the invasive and non-native plants.

Success

My habitat restoration project is a work in progress but I am already seeing success. The oak dune areas which were cleared of undergrowth and allowed to burn have made amazing progress. Sedge grass is more prevalent and native wild flowers are coming back. One of the flowers is an orchid which is on the Ohio endangered species list. I am expecting to see more native plants this spring and summer.

Wild life is much more prevalent in my restored areas than it ever used to be.

Red-shouldered hawks now nest and hunt for food in the open areas of the forest.
Barred owls now make the un-drained swamp forest their home.
Wood ducks are back nesting in the swamp since it has water again.
White tailed deer are regularly seen (usually eating the flowers I planted).
We have many more song birds than ever before.
Bluebirds now nest here. I never used to see them before.
Wood frogs are back in the swamp along with bull frogs.
Wild turkeys make regular appearances.
The woodpecker population has increased.
Great horned owls and screech owls are heard at night in the woods.

(read what my wife thinks now)

You can make a difference

I can't say with certainty that every animal that passes through my 8 acres is because of my restoration project. But I can say with certainty that we see much more wild life on our 8 acres than ever before. It could be a coincidence or perhaps an increased awareness on my part. But I like to think that my habitat restoration project is making a difference.

You don't have to go to the extremes that I have to provide a natural habitat near your home. However with a little awareness and some native plants any backyard or rural lot can make a difference.

Return from habitat restoration to Oak Openings Region

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