Restoring Lake Superior s Coastal Forest

Transcription

1 Restorig Lake Superior s Coastal Forest A primer for ladowers ad maagers Produced by Sugarloaf T H E N O RT H S H O R E S T E WA R D S H I P A S S O C I AT I O N Ecology of the Coastal Forest The North Shore of Lake Superior s combiatio of cool summer temperatures ad shallow soil has led to a uique coastal forest commuity. Some plat species, like thimbleberry, tall bluebell, ad moutai ash fid a particularly good eviromet i the coastal forest. White cedars also do well ear the Lake. I fact, a forest type called Uplad White Cedar Forest was oce commo alog the North Shore while rare elsewhere i Miesota. This is especially true withi the first mile of the shorelie, where lake-effect climate is most ifluetial. Miesota Departmet of Natural Resources (DNR) ecologists have idetified three ative plat commuity types that are uiquely associated with the North Shore coastal forest: Uplad White Cedar Forest, North Shore Spruce-Fir Woodlad, ad Lake Superior Bedrock Shrublad. The DNR defies ative plat commuities as groups of ative plats that iteract with each other ad with their eviromet i ways ot greatly altered by moder huma activity or by itroduced orgaisms. Classifyig plat commuities provides a commo laguage for those ivolved i usig, restorig, or coservig the resources i Miesota s ative plat commuities.

2 UPLAND WHITE CEDAR FOREST I this commuity, white cedar is the domiat caopy tree i a forest also composed of quakig aspe, paper birch, balsam fir, white spruce, ad sometimes white pie. Starflower, bluebead lily, ad wild sarsaparilla are the most commo plats i the groud layer. NORTH SHORE SPRUCE-FIR WOODLAND This commuity s ope tree caopy is composed of balsam fir, white spruce, paper birch, ad black spruce. The forest floor is covered by may species of liches ad mosses. The soil is particularly thi with a lot of exposed bedrock. Low shrubs like blueberry ad bush hoeysuckle are commo. Commo flowers iclude Caada mayflower, buchberry, ad large-leaved aster. bee suppressed. Periodic fires reduce fuels, prepare the groud for pie regeeratio, release mierals ad utriets from the soil, create a mosaic of habitats for wildlife, ad reduce the build-up of shrubs. Equally importat, the white-tailed deer populatio has greatly icreased. The presece of deer, especially the high populatios of deer i witer ad sprig, has dramatically chaged the forest. Deer browse coifers very heavily i the witer ad sprig, whe their summer diet of gree leafy material is goe. This keeps atural successio to coifers from occurrig. White cedar is a favorite food. A commo sight o the North Shore is a white cedar tree with every brach uder seve or eight feet goe. Cedar seedligs ca survive uder deep sow, but will be eate to the groud whe exposed. LAKE SUPERIOR BEDROCK SHRUBLAND O cliffs ad rocky outcrops, this commuity is composed of patchy vegetatio of shrubs, wildflowers, grasses, sedges, liches, mosses, ad scattered trees that are ofte stuted by the thi soil. Commo shrubs iclude Jueberry ad hawthors. Trees iclude balsam fir, white spruce, paper birch, ad moutai ash. Liches rather tha mosses cover areas of exposed bedrock. For more iformatio about Miesota s Native Plat Commuities, visit White cedar browsed by deer What happeed to the Coastal Forest? Although examples of these ative plat commuities are foud alog the North Shore, the coastal forest looks much differet today tha it did before Europea settlemet. Loggig i the late 1800s ad early 1900s removed most of the pies ad cedars. Severe fires swept through the slash that was left behid, ad the forest that has grow back is heavily domiated by paper birch ad quakig aspe. With few older pies ad cedars to provide seeds, these trees have ot retured to most parts of the shore. I additio to the loggig ad severe slash fires i the early 1900s, other factors have also fudametally altered the ecology of the coastal forest. Periodic fires that drive the atural cycles of vegetatio chage have Deer also seek out white pie ad balsam fir seedligs ad sapligs. Red pie is less favored, but i a log, harsh witer, it too will be browsed. Fially, bucks will rub their atlers o sapligs, so eve a tefoot tree may ot be free of deer damage. PRIME EXAMPLES OF COASTAL FOREST ALONG THE NORTH SHORE While much of the North Shore coastal forest has bee disturbed or destroyed, there are umerous sites where it is foud, primarily i these woderful Miesota State Parks. Palisade Head Shovel Poit i Tettegouche State Park Cascade River State Park, picic area east of the river 2

3 From Highway 61, you ca also see ice stads of ative coifers, especially white pie, by the Ecampmet River ad west of Beaver Bay. These are o private lad; please ejoy them from the highway. Why Restore the Coastal Forest? The origial coifer forest is ot returig o its ow. As the birch trees die off, there is little ew coifer growth to succeed them. Historically, at this poit i the forest s life cycle, coifer species like red ad white pie, spruce, ad cedar that are capable of livig for ceturies would assume domiace thereby maitaiig a well-stocked ad diverse forest util the ext major fire starts the cycle agai. From a ecological perspective, sustaiig ad reestablishig forest diversity ad structure will maitai ad improve: the quality of water movig through this portio of the Lake Superior watershed, ultimately affectig the water quality of Lake Superior; If you are a North Shore ladower, chaces are your forest does ot resemble the origial coastal forest. However, with a little effort, you ca restore your forest. The best way to begi is by platig trees. Platig Trees Before you begi platig, there are a few factors to cosider. SELECTING YOUR SITE How ca the Coastal Forest be Restored? soil retetio ad its ability to support vegetatio ad retai water; habitat for the full complemet of ative flora ad faua; carbo storage; ad resiliecy to withstad ad recover from extreme weather evets. Oce the decisio is made to dedicate a area to platig trees, the area eeds to be aalyzed to determie the best species suited to growig o the site. The soil type, ad other factors such as depth to the water table, exposure to su ad wid, moisture availability, other species preset, history of the lad ad future lad use may eed to be idetified. Typical challeges you may ecouter are: From a huma values perspective, sustaiig ad reestablishig forest diversity ad structure will maitai ad improve: the sceic quality of the North Shore; ad the famous attractios of the North Shore (vistas, fishig, hikig, skiig, hutig, bird watchig, ad bikig), which will beefit the tourism ad local service idustry. A cocerted effort of all North Shore ladowers is eeded for the log-term restoratio ad preservatio of this forest ad the protectio of the streams associated with it. DYING BIRCH I may North Shore locatios, etire stads of birch are dead or dyig. Paper birch has a aturally short lifespa of years. Much of the birch o the North Shore bega growig i the early 1900s. Multiple other factors, icludig drought, forest tet caterpillars ( army worms ), the broze birch borer beetle, ad the March 2009 ice storm have sped up this declie. Near residetial developmets, clearig for roads ad houses has added to the stress o the trees. May of the soil types ad the south facig slopes are ot suited to good birch forest growth. COMPETITION A ative grass called bluejoit (Calamagrostis caadesis) teds to fill i forested areas where there is 3

4 eough sulight ad soil moisture, especially if there has bee past soil disturbace. The grass prevets youg coifer seedligs from establishig. Dyig birch forests provide a ideal habitat for bluejoit. PREPARING THE SITE FOR PLANTING Site preparatio is oe of the most importat, yet most eglected aspects of tree platig. Site preparatio helps elimiate weed ad brush competitio that ca kill or greatly reduce growth of ewly plated tree seedligs. Grass should be removed or killed back i a 3 by 3 square. Oce plated, the seedlig must the be protected from grass regrowth with a 3 by 3 mulch mat or by a 3 to 4 layer of wood chips or pie eedles. Tree Platig Bluejoit (Calamagrostis caadesis). Dave Powell, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org Other grasses ad shrubs also stifle ew tree growth. Alder ad hazel are commo uderstory shrubs that will shade out seedligs. OLD FIELDS Particularly i areas ear historic North Shore settlemets, previous ladowers have itetioally kept areas clear for grazig aimals, commercial uses, or just to maitai a law. As a result, the soil may be compacted ad a mooculture of o-ative grass is i place. Natural successio is severely limited i these areas. With this iformatio, use Table 1 o this page to help you select the best tree species for your site. CHOOSE YOUR STOCK TYPE Trees for restoratio platig most frequetly are available from urseries as bare-root, plug, or cotaierized seedligs. Bare-root seedligs ad plugs ca be a ecoomical optio ad may require less diggig tha whe usig larger cotaierized trees. Larger cotaierized trees typically are trees that come i oe gallo or larger cotaiers. Plugs are grow i small tube-like cotaiers. They are ofte shipped with or without the cotaier. Oe advatage of plugs left i the cotaier ad cotaierized stock icludes a loger widow of time for platig. Seedligs left i the cotaiers ca be cared for much like potted plats while bare-root seedligs eed to be plated soo after gettig them from the ursery. TABLE 1 COASTAL FOREST TREE (i order of frequecy) WHITE CEDAR WHERE TO PLANT Grows best o medium to heavy soils ad although quite tolerat of partial shade, likes full sulight. BALSAM FIR Although very shade tolerat, requires abudat moisture for best developmet. WHITE SPRUCE Grows best o medium to heavy soils ad although quite tolerat of shade, likes full sulight. WHITE PINE Although adaptable to most sites, grows best i areas exposed to full sulight ad havig rich, moist, well-draied soil. RED PINE Foud o a wide variety of sites. Prefers full sulight ad moist, well-draied soil. Ucommo i the coastal forest, except i platatios 4

5 BARE ROOT TREE PLANTING TIPS 1. Platig i the sprig ca be started as soo as the groud is free from frost ad ca cotiue as log as the tree seedligs have ot become moldy or broke dormacy. Fall platig ca be successful, however seedligs may ot be available. populatio of deer o the North Shore, especially i late witer, ca be overwhelmig. 2. It is importat to limit the time betwee takig tree seedligs from their ursery beds ad platig them at a permaet site. Aythig that ca be doe to shorte this time period will icrease survival of the tree seedligs. This meas keepig the packaged seedligs i a cool (35 to 50 F), dark, locatio, keepig the roots moist ad platig them as soo after gettig them from the ursery as possible. 3. Protect tree seedligs before ad durig platig. Aythig that causes tree seedligs to warm up or dry out before they are plated will decrease survival. Exposig roots to sulight ad dryig wids ca cause seedlig mortality. 4. Be sure the seedligs are plated straight, with roots spread out i the platig hole. Platig with a shovel ca be slower tha usig a platig bar. However, a shovel ca be used to prepare the platig site ad loose the soil creatig coditios more favorable to root growth. 5. Plat at the proper depth. Fid the root collar just above where the roots flare out from the stem, ad plat the seedlig at the depth of the root collar at or just below groud level. White pie seedlig protected by five-foot galvaized fecig ad T-post. TO FENCE OR NOT TO FENCE Platig seedlig trees o the North Shore requires strog, durable protectio from deer. Oe solutio is a wire cage, either for idividual trees or for small groups. For a sigle seedlig, you will eed a T-Post or other sturdy post, six to eight feet of 5-foot or 6-foot galvaized fecig, a post pouder, ad either wire or cable ties for bidig. If the iside of the cage is large eough that a deer could jump i, you will eed a eight-foot fece ad 10-foot posts. Aother solutio is a feced exclosure, which is a feced area with at least 8-foot fecig. 6. Heel i bare-root seedligs if platig is delayed for more tha a few days. If you eed to postpoe your platig operatios for more tha a few days, it is best to heel i the seedligs. Dig a trech i a shady locatio ad spread out the seedligs i trech. Cover the seedligs with dirt ad water them well. For more platig tips, see refereces o page 7. Protectio Damage by deer is the sigle largest obstacle to restoratio of the North Shore coastal forest. Deer especially like to browse white cedar ad white pie, two importat compoets of the coastal forest. The White cedar trees i a feced exclosure. Note lack of deer browsig. 5

6 BUD CAPPING Bud cappig is a commo meas to protect coifer seedligs. However, the deer pressure o the North Shore is ofte too high for this to be effective. REPELLENTS Due to the high populatio of deer o the North Shore, repellets have had limited success. Oe reaso is the repellets wash off with each raifall. Oe compay, Repellex ( sells tablets that may be placed i the soil aroud the ewly plated trees. The tablets cotai capsaici, the same compoud foud i hot peppers, ad a carrier to allow the seedlig to take up the capsaici. Deer may be deterred from feedig o trees treated with these tablets. Hammarlud Nursery P.O. Box N. Esko Road Esko, MN Full service ladscape ceter with a wide variety of plats grow o site icludig some ative species. Plat ad Material Sources Note: This listig is ot a edorsemet of these busiesses ad products, or is it a complete listig. Busiesses wishig to be icluded i future editios of this booklet should cotact Sugarloaf at sugarloaf@boreal.org or (218) Commercial sources of trees Boreal Natives 3943 Muger Shaw Road Cloquet, MN borealatives@prairieresto.com Specializig i locally grow ative seed ad plat materials. Provide professioal restoratio services. Guflit Gardes 51 Mort Meadows Grad Marais, MN Bob Sopoci has a iside track o may ative trees ad plats. Itasca Greehouse Blackwater Road PO Box 273 Cohasset, MN Ecoomical source of cotaierized seedligs throughout the platig seaso. Also platig ad protectio supplies. Leaig Pie Native Ladscape Compay 3130 South Camp Amico Rd. South Rage, WI Specializig i lakeshore restoratio. North Cetral Reforestatio, Ic th Aveue Evasville, MN Specializig i cotaierized ad bare root seedligs. Also platig ad protectio supplies. Maxwells Woodlad Nursery 6185 Lax Lake Road Filad, MN Larger regioal ursery with a wide variety of plats icludig some ative species. 6

7 Govermet sources South St. Louis Couty SWCD 215 North 1st Aveue East Room 301 Duluth, MN Commo ecoomical source for bare-root seedligs ad trasplats. Plats come i budles of 10 or 25. Miesota State Forest Nursery PO Box 117 Akeley, MN or Miimum order of 500 trees. Seedligs ca oly be plated withi Miesota. Trasplatig For More Iformatio Websites Miesota DNR Tree Care Uiversity of Miesota Extesio My Miesota Woods North Shore Forest Collaborative Cook Couty Ivasive Team Natural Resources Coservatio Service Duluth office 4850 Miller Truk Highway, Suite 2B Duluth, MN White Pie platig ad care Tree platig ad care Permissio of the ower is required to dig ad move plats from public or private lad i Miesota. Oe source for trasplatig ative plats are ew housig developmets, where site clearig for costructio requires removal of ative vegetatio. Fecig, posts, mulch mats, etc. Most hardware stores ad home improvemet retailers either stock fecig ad posts or ca order them. For specialized supplies such as mulch mats, you may wat to shop olie. Olie suppliers iclude: Forestry Supplier - Be Meadows - Terra Tech - Bailey s - Itasca Greehouse - North Shore Soil ad Water Coservatio District offices Staff at these offices ca help with tree platig, icludig platig advice ad more. South St. Louis Couty SWCD 215 North 1st Aveue East, Room 301 Duluth, MN (218) Lake Couty SWCD 616 3rd Aveue Two Harbors, MN (218) Cook Couty SWCD Cook Couty Courthouse 411 W. 2d Street Grad Marais, MN (218)

8 Sugarloaf: The North Shore Stewardship Associatio 6008 Lodo Road Duluth, MN NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 721 DULUTH, MN Sugarloaf T H E N O RT H S H O R E S T E WA R D S H I P A S S O C I AT I O N Sugarloaf s missio is to ispire the preservatio ad restoratio of the North Shore s uique eviromet through educatio ad exemplary stewardship, especially at Sugarloaf Cove. For more iformatio, visit Sugarloaf Cove at 9096 W. Highway 61 ear Schroeder, call or visit Some of this booklet excerpted ad adapted with permissio from the Miesota SWCD Forestry Associatio Tree Hadbook. Available as a PDF from or from local SWCD offices. Mike Reichebach, Extesio Educator, Uiversity of Miesota assisted with the editig of the 2012 editio. This publicatio was fuded i part by the Biodiversity Fud of the Duluth Superior Area Commuity Foudatio ad by the Coastal Zoe Maagemet Act, by NOAA s Office of Ocea ad Coastal Resource Maagemet, i cojuctio with Miesota s Lake Superior Coastal Program. December 2012.