Restoration planning begins at river bluff forest

The Hastings SNA maple-basswood forest (top) is home to cool limestone outcrops (middle) an abundance of woodland wildflowers, such as Dutchman's breeches (bottom).

Photos: Karen Schik

The deep shade of old-growth sugar maple-basswood forest, with limestone ledges and talus slopes, provides not only interesting terrain but also a diversity of native plant life at the Hastings Scientific and Natural Area (SNA).

One of the main attractions to this property for native plant enthusiasts is the rare snow trillium, which thrives on the cool limestone outcrops and is one of the first wildflowers to bloom in early spring. The forest floor is also densely covered with an abundance of other woodland wildflowers, including Dutchmans breeches, hepatica, bloodroot and trilliums. The upland diversity at the site is further enhanced by the richness of the Vermillion River and its floodplain forest that lie at the base of the bluffs, with associated marshland areas.

All of this diversity is in spite of the fact that the property is only 70 acres, is divided by two significant roads (Ravenna Trail and Highway 291), and has earthworms in the soil — species not native to Minnesota typically resulting in impoverished and stuntedwoodland flora. Despite all of this, the native plant community is largely intact — a rare thing to find, especially in a metropolitan area. Encroachment of non-native buckthorn, however, threatens to impair that diversity as it spreads throughout the site.

FMR has long been interested in working to protect the native plant community at this site and are thrilled to now have that opportunity. This spring we received funding from the National Fish and Wild Foundation and have begun preparation of an ecological management plan. We expect to begin restoration projects this fall, in cooperation with Minnesota Department of Natural Resources SNA staff.