Rebirth of Lamson Woods State Preserve

Iowa’s Natural Preserves are meant to demonstrate some of the state’s outstanding biological features. There are excellent examples of the prairies and forests that once dominated the state. Others hold plants and animals now rare in Iowa.

Recently, I tagged along with District Forester Cassidy Widner, DNR State Preserves Coordinator John Pearson, and botanist/local resident Laura McCormick as they inspected Jefferson County’s Lamson Woods State Preserve in Fairfield.

The inspection was geared to look for results or non-results from instituting a management plan (the Plan) at the Preserve which included treatment of invasive plant growth, fire, and the harvesting of approximately 106 trees across 18 acres, an average of about six trees per acre. Care was taken to select trees that were in decline or close to the end of their lifecycle. One hundred and two oak trees were sold and the proceeds were then utilized to fully execute the Plan.

The problem at the Preserve was that no new baby oak trees were growing. It was determined that not enough sunlight and warmth was reaching the ground due to the massive canopy of mature oak trees, and the few acorns germinating were being eaten by deer or shaded out by invasive understory growth.

The results were overwhelmingly positive: we found hundreds of baby oaks seedlings and there are likely thousands now growing. The management plan is working 100% based upon real time, scientific understanding. Cassidy was especially pleased about the “natural regeneration” of oaks that is occurring: no outside seedlings would be needed to be planted thereby keeping the genetics of the original forest intact.

Huge shout out to the local Arbor Committee and then city councilman Michael Halley, always a legislative and volunteer supporter of trees, for pulling together a team to work on the plan - including then district forester Ray Lehn – and successfully presenting the plan to the State Preserve Board, who zealously protect their preserves, and having them sign off on the Plan.

I have to admit when I first viewed the downed trees year before last, I was shocked at how devastating it all looked. “Why didn’t they at least cut up and haul away all of the dead trees?” I thought. I asked Cassidy: the trees would act as deterrents to prevent deer from easy access to the seedlings, provide habit for the forest’s critters, and eventually decompose adding nutrients to the forest’s soil. It not only made sense, it’s working 100%. This same methodology is now being used on other tracts of timberland owned by the City.

Here’s a lesson for us all (quote attributed to Aldo Leopold): “In Land Stewardship, humans don’t come first.” Our concepts of beauty and correctness are sorely lacking in Big Picture understanding. The land comes first and even if that’s initially difficult for us humans to understand, tried and true methods are helping heal and regenerate some of Iowa’s land, prairie and forest alike.

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