The initial phase of the restoration work being done by a contractor, Davey Tree Expert Co., involves removing the non-native brush at the site. This will open up the site significantly to allow District staff to evaluate the remaining trees. The contractor’s scope of work does not include removing dead, hazardous or fallen trees.
Once the contracted invasive removal work is completed in an area, the Park District’s trained staff will follow by removing dead trees that had previously fallen to create a cleaner and more viable medium for natural area seed to establish. In addition, all standing dead trees will each be evaluated by staff’s International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist prior to their removal to determine if they could pose a hazard to park users. Dead-standing trees that are unlikely to impact park users may be left to provide habitat for wildlife.
Tree removals will cease on March 31st to ensure that this habitat used by wildlife is not disturbed during the growing and nesting seasons. Clean-up of fallen trees and other large debris will continue on the site for the first half of April. From the middle to the end of April, District staff will begin preparing the site for seeding. This will entail removing smaller debris, such as branches and leaves, from the soil surface so that the seed can have direct contact with the soil for germination. The seed mix will include a variety of native flowers and grasses along with a cover crop. This newly planted native landscape will take three to five years to fully establish on-site. The cover crop will germinate quickly and help stabilize the soil and reduce erosion. The District will also begin planting new native trees on the site. The replanting of trees will occur as phases over multiple years, so that District staff can properly care for these new trees and support their successful growth.
In order to maintain the increased biodiversity that this natural area improvement work initiates with this project, District staff will conduct regular maintenance activities as described in the Natural Resource Management Plan and the site-specific Jubilee Point Natural Area Improvement Plan. Some of the maintenance activities will include control of non-native and invasive brush and tree species, control of non-native herbaceous species, prescribed fire, tree condition inspections and floristic quality assessments. These maintenance and monitoring activities will ensure this natural area continues to improve creating a better habitat for wildlife and more interest for park users.
