Park District Volunteer Stewardship Coordinator, Becky Schillo, and Natural Areas Manager, Zhanna Yermakov, came out today and walked through the Park District’s management plan for the Ronan Park Trail area. Here are some of the highlights…
1. At the south entrance to the trail area, there is a big spread of low-growing sumac. It’s a fairly common landscape architecture feature, but it’s not making the most best welcome at the entrance. It’s to be replaced with more interesting mix of native shrubs.
2. From the south trailhead to the playground halfway north, a contractor crew will herbicide some small, 1-2 sq ft, areas of orchard grasses. These will be cleared and replanted with more interesting natives. The grasses were planted years ago, when it was originally hard to grow on the top part of the trail area, but now there is enough cover there to start mixing in other things.
3. Remove wire mesh and prune new shoots on trees near the playground. (Vols can do this.)
4. Trimming back things like roses and (very tall) cup plant along the south half of the fence line boundary.
5. Remove select invasive mulberry trees in favor of native oaks.
Along the way, we also noticed… indigo, rose, raspberry, wild onions, cup plant, rye grasses, sedges, golden alexander, solomon seal, cow parsnip, columbine.
Total Volunteers: 1. Total Hours: 2.
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