It is incredible to see all the science around our work to make the forestlands on the Preserve healthier and more resilient in the face of climate change and the growing threat of wildfire on the west side of the state. The board was recently given a presentation of our interns’ work over this past summer.
This past summer’s focus was on analyzing data collected in previous years to find links to climate change and to help us better understand the data that we already have on the tree stands that we may want to perform restorative thinning on in the future. The interns also worked to increase our available dataset by surveying our streams and the forest plots that were scheduled for thinning this year.
Using drones, a detailed map was created for the areas that need thinning. The trees in those areas are densely packed and act to crowd out any understory leading to a lack of plant diversity and competition for resources like sunlight and water. The goals of the restorative thinning were to open up the canopy cover promoting understory growth; lower the trees per acre to a healthy count (100-170 trees/acre); diversify the Preserve to increase resistance to disease, pests, and the effects of climate change, and reduce the number of dead or dying trees to minimize risks of wildfire.
In July 2024, thinning operations on the Preserve moved forward as a means to promote tree growth and biodiversity in areas that were overcrowded and stressed. As the thinning work was done, habitat piles were created to help encourage our local wildlife to establish their dens and nests.
It’s a truly exciting time to explore the Preserve and learn how active management and conservation go together to curb the impacts of climate change and foster forests and waterways that benefit us today and for years to come.
-Jeff Wirtz, Vice President