Ecological Management
Threats to the Preserve
Invasive crown vetch chokes out native vegetation.
Invasive Species
The main threats to the site are invasive species including teasel, crown vetch, reed canary grass, purple loosestrife, common reed, and sweet clover, as well as brush encroachment from invading shrubs and trees. Invasive species decreases plant and animal diversity by shading out the sun-loving prairie species.
Dumped lawn clippings smother native plants.
Heavy Use
Vehicle trespass and dumping of garbage and yard waste have been a problem in the past. Even trampling can stress or kill the rare fauna, compact or damage prairie sod, and introduce new invasive species. Part of our job as stewards is to teach our neighbors how to appreciate and protect these precious ecosystems.
Ecological Management
Volunteers cut invasive trees and place the logs on a warm fire.
A Year-Round Effort
Volunteers with the Friends of the Old Plank Road Prairies, the Orland Grassland Volunteers, Nature Preserves staff, and contractors conduct brush control in winter months, manage invasive weeds, gather seeds to repopulate damaged areas during the spring and summer months, and conduct prescribed burns during the dry parts of the year. Management and restoration efforts will continue and grow with the support of many organizations.
A volunteer holds a diverse mix of prairie seeds collected on-site.
Prairie Restoration
More recently, the Friends of the Old Plank Road Prairies have expanded a seeds program to facilitate restoration of the site and increase habitat for rare plants and insects. Hundreds of prairie plant species were collected from the remnants along the trail, combined into appropriate mixes, and broadcast in disturbed prairie areas recovering from invasives and brush. In the years to come, competition from these plants will also help resist new invasions by brush and weeds that threaten the site's biodiversity.