Burns help to find woody vegetation

Finding patches of problem woody vegetation is important for prairie and savanna restoration. One of the best times to locate problem woodies is right after a burn, when they really stand out against the black background.

The photo above is of a large sumac clone that was present in one of our savanna areas (Unit 11D). This clone was spotted from 50 feet away. (Fortunately, Amanda had basal barked this clone before the area was burned.)

Other shrub species that are easy to find are gray dogwood, hazel, any bramble (the red stems really show), and honeysuckle. Also, oak grubs. Unfortunately, small buckthorn are harder to see.

Sometime in the next few days (before green-up) I plan to do a survey of all our burned areas and mark with the GPS any problem areas. Then the resprouts can be herbicided later in the spring.