Oak Savanna Restoration Step-By-Step

Hike and learn at an oak savanna restoration in progress at Wild Oaks Preserve in Dane County, a collaborative project of Driftless Area Land Conservancy and BadgerLand Foundation.

Oak savannas were once prevalent across the Midwest, but now are one of the most endangered ecosystems on the planet. At Wild Oaks Preserve, changing land use and the removal of historic disturbance regimes like grazing and fire caused the savanna to become overgrown with undesirable trees and non-native species. Dedicated volunteers have spent several years removing much of this brush. Now, the next step is managing weeds that have sprung up in these newly cleared areas.

Join us on-site to see how sunlight, soil disturbance, and lack of competition leads to flushing of weeds, with all kinds of different examples! We will identify and discuss the life cycle of common weeds (herbaceous, grassy, and woody) that we have and how to decide which “weeds” to proactively attack versus allow as successional species that will peter out over time. Then, learn about various weed control methods and how to weave them together, including the importance of early-season fire and how to establish a fuel matrix for that.

This event is free, but the capacity is 25 people. Register now!

This event is part of Wisconsin Land Trust Days. Learn more at HaveFunOutside.org.