The Anoka Nature Preserve

2013 Woodland Restoration Project

Grant awards totaling nearly $175,000 will enable the restoration of oak woodland and savanna through removal of buckthorn and other undesirable species. The restoration plan includes the application of herbicide to kill undesirable tree and shrub species, the mechanical removal of treated trees and shrubs, follow-up controlled burns and additional herbicide application to kill missed and newly sprouted trees and shrubs. Target species for removal include common buckthorn, prickly ash, tartarian honeysuckle, Siberian elm, and some eastern red cedar  will be removed this winter.   This process will involve loud machinery such as grinders, skids, tractor trailers, loaders, and specialized cutting equipment. The material harvested from the woodland is set to be prepped in the nearby agricultural fields and loaded for transport off site. Semi tractors will be hauling many loads of woody materials to bioenergy facilities.

Upland Areas

Oak savanna is the native plant community in the upland part of the park. Older burr oak and northern pin oak trees are scattered throughout this area, and the wide expanse of the branches indicates that they grew under open, sunny conditions with room to spread. More recently, eastern red cedar, buckthorn, and prickly ash grew into space beneath the oaks that would otherwise have been prairie grasses and wildflowers.

Observant visitors during the summer and fall months may spot some of the native plants, including Indian grass, little bluestem, pussytoes, prairie smoke, and thimbleweed in some of the sunny openings. Oak savanna (as happened with natural lightning-caused fires) could benefit from controlled burning and removal of non-native, invasive species (buckthorn and prickly ash especially).  The open meadow areas were slated for prairie restoration, discontinuing the past rental for agriculture.

Wetland Areas

The river lowlands along the Rum on the west side of the park include floodplain forest and marsh native communities. The wooded floodplain trees include silver maple, red maple, cottonwood, green ash, box elder, and black willow. The marshes in the backwaters include cattail, sedges, and prairie cordgrass.

One important reason to preserve the woodlands and the marshes along the riverbank is the ‘filtering’ function, acting as a buffer for rainwater and runoff before it enters the river flow, filtering out pesticides and pollution. Over 50% of Minnesota’s wetlands have been lost to filling, draining, and relocation, making the remaining wetlands especially important to water quality.

The Rum River in particular is the direct link connecting Mille Lacs lake to the Mississippi River.

RRNA Tree and Plant Census, October 2001