Saturday, May 13, 2000

Life springs anew at nature areas

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Seedlings appearing on devastated lands

By Walt Schaefer
The Cincinnati Enquirer

        MONTGOMERY — Where mighty oaks and towering American beech and tulip poplars once ruled, the future stands about five inches tall.

Terry Willenbrink (left), city of Montgomery arborist, and Dr. Jerry Snider, biology professor at the University of Cincinnati, (Michael Snyder photo) | ZOOM |

        Seedlings are popping up in two nature preserves ravaged by the tornado that struck them in April 1999.

        “This will take generations to recover, so we will never see the forest as it was before the storm, in our lifetimes. But there are signs things are happening,” said Terry Willenbrink, Montgomery's city arborist.

        The tornado ripped a swath of destruction through the 8-acre Johnson Nature Preserve owned by Montgomery and the 65-acre Hazelwood Nature Preserve owned by the University of Cincinnati. About 95 percent of the trees in the Johnson preserve were destroyed and the twister claimed about 70 percent of Hazelwood although it spared some of the older trees — poplars and oaks that took root 150 to 200 years ago.

        Dr. Jerry Snider, a professor of biology at the University of Cincinnati, said forest recovery occurs in stages that change the landscape every eight to 10 years. The first trees to establish dominance will be fast-growing sugar maples and ashes. Over decades the oak, pop lar and beech will return.

        “If I lived in one of these houses (next to the preserves) I'd get myself a camera and set it up in a window overlooking the site and every week or two I'd snap off a few pictures and keep doing that for 30 years or more,” Dr. Snider said.

        A hike through the preserves found ash, sassafras, maple, dogwood, American beech and white oak seedlings.

        “The biggest problem we'll have is with Chinese amur honeysuckle and garlic mustard — a European weed. The honeysuckle and weed are going to retard recovery. It's fast growing and will compete with minerals and nutrients in the soil,” said Dr. Snider.

Willenbrink examines a tree truck (Michael Snyder photo) | ZOOM |

        The honeysuckle has invaded the tornado-affected areas since the tree canopy was destroyed by wind. Eventually, it will be choked out as the canopy returns.

        “The neighborhood is really changing, too,” Mr. Willenbrink said.

        The new low-ground and bushy growth taking place is luring a greater number of deer, and the rodent population is increasing although they should pose no problems for abutting homeowners.

        Rodents will bring in birds of prey — hawks and owls. Other animals — raccoon, fox, rabbit and squirrel — are

        increasing, the scientists said.

        The fate of nine types of orchids found at the Hazelwood preserve, including two judged endangered, will not be known until fall, but there is guarded optimism, Dr. Snider said. One of the orchid species “took a big hit” and likely will perish since it will not withstand the sunlight in its changed habitat. The other eight, including both of the endangered ones, do not appear to have had significant changes to habitat since they are generally in the least affected areas of the preserve.

        Also, Dr. Snider noted that while the preserve has been called Hazelwood for many years, its true name is the Harris Benedict Preserve, to honor a botany professor at the university in the 1930s. Part of the school's effort to reestablish the preserve will include new signs bearing Mr. Benedict's name.

        “There are two philosophies being used in the recovery of the two preserves,” Dr. Snider said.

        While the Johnson Nature Preserve was donated to Montgomery, “our preserve was acquired through cookie and bake sales back in the 1920s and it was deeded to the university to be left totally untouched. In theory, when the tornado hit, we were not supposed to touch it because of those (deed) restraints.

        “The original idea was to study the preserve over years totally undisturbed and particularly since it is in an urban environment, and now to see how it will recover. That will be a fascinating study,” Dr. Snider said.

        Because of the rare orchids and the continuous study of the natural area since the 1920s — one of the longest such studies in the nation — the UC preserve has been designated a national landmark.

        “Still, we did run into some snags,” Dr. Snider said. Because of the significant deadfall from the tornado, “we had to build a fire break” to protect neighbors' houses. “The only way to pay for the fire break was to sell off some marketable timber from the downed trees to raise $50,000 needed,” he said. “It was either that or convert it to condos.”

        Dr. Snider stressed, however, that there will be no tree-planting in the preserve to hasten recovery. “We want to study it and watch the natural seed bank in the soil reestablish this preserve. It is not our direction to replant it.”

        If Montgomery is successful in acquiring a state-funded nature works grant, some of that money will be used to replant that small tract where walking trails already have been restored to allow public access. There is no public access to Hazelwood except for field studies by the university and other schools with permission to use it for field trips.

        “Johnson is not a national landmark so that changes what we can do and we hope to replant some of it to hasten recovery,” Mr. Willenbrink said. PHOTO Michael Snyder examine some new plants springing up at the Johnson and Hazelwood nature preserves.

       

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