Ecological Restoration Continued at Burnet Woods

Conservation is a key factor to Cincinnati Parks maintaining beautiful greenspaces. But the other side of the coin is Ecological Restoration.

Ecological Restoration, as defined by Wikipedia, aims to recreate, initiate, or accelerate the recovery of an ecosystem that has been disturbed.  Disturbances such has fire, storms, and tree loss, are normal occurrences of all ecosystems. However, the presence of invasive plants can prevent the recovery process from these events.  Opportunistic invasive species quickly fill new light gaps in the forest canopies.  Some plants such as Porcelain berry vine (ampelopsis brevipedunculata) can even smother open forest edges, similar in action to the infamous Kudzu.  Check out the invasive fact sheet about Porcelain Berry by the U.S. Forest Service. Over time the forests convert into a mix a few non native plants and biodiversity is lost.  In this case the recovery process cannot take place with our intervention.

At Burnet Woods, we are thrilled to announce that next week work will commence on a large ecological restoration project.

This will be a continuation and extension of the tremendous progress that has been made by volunteers of Preserve Burnet Woods over the last two years. The Cincinnati Parks Foundation Stewards of Burnet Woods matched a $10,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation to support the Park Board’s removal of 13 different types of invasive species from the park.

Contractors will be working to remove invasive trees, shrubs, and vines throughout the park in various stages over the next few years.  You may see chainsaws and machinery being used for especially dense and difficult spots.  These actions will allow for the return of our native plants which are essential shelter and food sources for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.

Be on the lookout for increasing numbers of wildflowers in the seasons ahead!