Tube Tops, Genetics and Dibble Sticks

Conservation Practitioners Meet for Clayplain Forest Restoration Conference

Poultney, VT—24 March 2006—More than forty conservation practitioners spent a day cloistered in a room at Green Mountain College this week, discussing the merits of tube tops, dibble sticks and genetics. The occasion, a conference on clayplain forest restoration and the first of its kind in the Champlain Valley, was jointly hosted by The Nature Conservancy and the Champlain Valley Clayplain Forest Project. The goal of the meeting was to share scientific research, field results and best practices amongst the many state and federal agencies, conservation organizations, consultants and academics, who are working to restore clayplain forests and protect river banks in the Champlain Valley.

Mary Droege, Director of Ecological Management and Restoration at The Nature Conservancy’s Southern Lake Champlain Valley Program, expressed her delight at the broad turnout of restoration partners.

“Restoring clayplain forest is an enormous goal which can only be achieved with the participation of many partners and private landowners,” commented Droege. “I’m excited by the level of participation and the free exchange of ideas and information that we enjoyed here today.”

Attendees included theVermont Nongame and Natural Heritage Program, VT Dept. of Environmental Conservation and VT Dept. of Agriculture, representatives from US Fish and Wildlife and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Poultney-Mettawee and Otter Creek Natural Resources Conservation Districts, academics, non-profit conservation groups and individuals.

Clayplain forests once covered the floor of the Champlain Valley, supporting a wide variety of tree and herb species and harboring abundant wildlife. The same soils that supported large patches of clayplain forests are also the most productive for agriculture. As farming moved to large scale production and smaller fields were abandoned, natural succession was surprisingly slow to occur. Grasses are believed to impede the growth of woody seedlings. Giving nature a jumpstart in key locations can advance natural succession by decades. Restoration planting sites located next to remaining stands of clayplain forest benefit from a natural rain of native seeds, and help to increase the size and ecological function of remaining patches.

The presence of some wild creatures can help the process of natural succession. Chipmunks, squirrels and blue jays can all play an important role in helping the regeneration of clayplain forests. These creatures have a taste for acorn and hickory nuts, and a predilection for caching stores to see them through the winter months. Their actions can assist in the restoration process.

Many restoration grants require a proven sapling survival rate. Rodent damage and deer browse are emerging as the primary causes of sapling mortality, and participants viewed photographs of tender saplings shredded, stripped and even entirely decapitated by the actions of the diminutive meadow vole. Although some level of tree loss is part of every restoration, different methods of tree protection can significantly enhance survivorship.

While ongoing monitoring and research will be required for many years, early indications support the cost of using ‘tube tops’ which fit over the saplings and protect the young trees from rodents and deer. Weed mats, designed to restrict the growth of competing vegetation do not appear to increase the success of plantings. An alternative method of restoration planting, sowing seeds directly in old fields, has promising cost reduction implications. Recent research plantings will provide data on the merits of this seeding practice. Proving success rates for direct seeding on old fields, freshly tilled acres, or within a protective covering of shrubs may help to get support for this method which is not yet funded by federal grants.

Preliminary findings from monitoring and measuring of current planting projects will be of immediate benefit to participants.

Marli Rupe, a conference attendee from the Poultney-Mettawee Natural Resources Conservation District added, “In working with landowners, it is critical that we have the best information possible to ensure that conservation goals are achieved, tax dollars are spent wisely and the project is a success. I gained a great deal from today’s discussion that will help us this spring season."

The day's program included presentations from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, both of which provide private landowner incentive programs and assist with procuring seedlings and labor for restoration projects. State assistance, through the newly established Landowner Incentive Program, is expected to be available soon.

Generous support from Lake Champlain Sea Grant and Green Mountain College helped move this conference, the first of its kind in the Champlain Valley, from the spark of an idea to successful implementation. Additionally, the Clayplain Forest Project receives funding from Lake Champlain Basin Program and South Lake Champlain Trust.

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The Champlain Valley Clayplain Forest Project promotes stewardship of the threatened clayplain forest natural community and all of nature in the Champlain Valley. By coordinating outreach and education, conservation, restoration, and ecological research the project increases awareness and encourages local pride in the natural heritage treasures of the valley.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, The Nature Conservancy and its approximately one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 117 million acres across the United States and around the World. The Vermont Chapter, chartered in 1960, has helped conserve over 170,000 acres of significant natural areas throughout the state, and maintains 43 nature preserves. Visit us on the Web at www.nature.org/vermont.