Forest Management
Oak Savanna, Woodland, or Bottomland Forest
Most of what we now call forest in Iowa was once an open-grown Oak Savanna, most true forests were confined to floodplains. Today, there aren’t many of these ‘forests’ that couldn’t use some kind of work.
Timber Stand Improvement (TSI)
For millenia, our forests were shaped by fire and grazing. Removing those disturbances has caused drastic shifts in the tree species in woodlands and created overstocked forests. Our native wildlife evolved with forests and savannas that were far more open, with more sunlight reaching the ground, providing opportunities for a vast diversity of grasses, sedges and flowers in the understory. In other words, many of our woodlands have too many trees and too little sunlight. For example, many of our native Oak-Hickory Savannas and Woodlands have been encroached upon by fire-sensitive bottomland trees such as Hackberry and Elm. TSI would involve removing such trees.
Invasive Species
In our forests, invasive species like Honeysuckle or Buckthorn can completely overrun the understory, shading out native herbaceous plants and new native tree and shrub seedlings. Removing them restores sunlight to the ground, allowing native biodiversity to bounce back and support native wildlife once again.
Tree Planting
Need a lot of trees planted? Bare-root tree plantings are a great solution. Bare root trees can be sourced from the Iowa DNR State Forest Nursery (See resources) for a low cost, and planted quickly in large quantities. Diversify your woodland, plant an new Oak Savanna, or plant a native windbreak
Contact Us
Leave your information and a let us know how you’d like to incorporate native plants into your property.