Approximately 9.4 acres in the SE ¼ of the NW ¼ of the SW ¼ of Section 16, T 3 S, R 8 E

Van Buren Township, Wayne County, Michigan

January 5, 2001

Wayne County Conservation District, Department of Natural Resources

Landowner: North Middle School Address: 47097 McBride Street

Contact: Dave Bargardi Belleville, MI 48111

Telephone: (734) 697-9171 County: Wayne

Township: Van Buren (T 3 S, R 8 E) Sec: 16

Location: Approximately 8.5 acres in the SE ¼ of the NW ¼ of the SW ¼

Total Acres: 37.5 Acres in Plan: 9.4

The purpose of this project is to establish an educational site in the existing woodlot to educate students on natural resource issues. This will be accomplished through the development of a trail, installation of wildlife practices, and development and installation of interpretive signs and/or literature.

The woodlot in the southeast portion of the North Middle School Property is an ideal setting for an outdoor classroom. This, in fact, was realized over 30 years ago. A site development map from 1970 identifies a proposed "nature trail" through this woodlot. At that time, the woodlot was considerably smaller, consisting only of a small pine plantation and a small area of hardwoods. An expansion of the woodlot was apparently intended, as indicated by two areas on the 1970 map marked "proposed wooded area" adjacent to the small existing woodlot.

In the past 30 years, much of the surrounding area has naturally transitioned into a young woodlot. Currently, the 9.4 acres contains a variety of vegetation including a pine plantation, mixed hardwoods, and some shrubby areas. This variety allows for more educational opportunities than a continuous block of one predominant cover type.

Generally, the development of this outdoor classroom will involve several practices, including a footpath installation, tree and shrub planting, limited timber stand improvement cuts, brush pile development, nest box installation, and development of accompanying educational materials.

There is a limited amount of historical information available about this site. Presettlement vegetation maps (see Figure 1) for the area show it being a beech-sugar maple type forest community. These maps, generated from notes taken by early surveyors, are useful in determining the capability of a particular site to support a certain type of vegetation. Although the beech-sugar maple community was a commonly found ecosystem in southeastern Michigan, may other types were also present. Further review of Figure 1 shows extensive hardwood swamps, wet prairies and black oak barrens all within just a few miles of the school site.

It is also known that the outdoor classroom site specifically was, in the mid 1900’s, sparsely vegetated, likely a reverted farm field from prior years. A white pine plantation was established

Also, hardwood tree species have, over the last 30 years, colonized the site to the west and south of the pines.

The soils present on this site are fairly uniform. Most of the school property is Thetford loamy sand, 0-2 % slope. The woodlot site is split in about half with this Thetford soil to the north and a Tedrow loamy fine sand, 0-2 % slope in the southern half of the woodlot. There is also a small area along the east border of the woodlot, with a Granby loamy fine sand. (See Figure 2, for location of soils and Appendix I for more specific soils information.)

ThA - Thetford loamy sand, 0-2 % slope. This soil consists of somewhat poorly drained, nearly level soils on outwash plains and lake plains. This soil is commonly cultivated and in some areas specialty crops are grown. It is also well suited for forestland. Common trees on this soil include red maple, white ash, quaking aspen, eastern cottonwood, northern red oak, swamp white oak, and bitternut hickory. Potential productivity is 43 ft³ of wood per acre per year. There is a concern of plant competition on this soil with newly planted trees or shrubs. There are moderate limitations for use as paths and trails due to wetness and sandiness.

Gr – Granby loamy fine sand. This soil consists of poorly to very poorly drained, nearly level soils on outwash plains and lake plains. Granby soils are suited for common and specialty agricultural crops as well as woodlands. Common trees on this soil include silver maple, red maple, American basswood, white ash, quaking aspen, and eastern cottonwood. Potential productivity on this soil is 43 ft³ wood/ac./yr. There are severe management concerns of seedling mortality, windthrow hazard, and plant competition on this site due to wetness. There are severe limitations for use as paths and trails due to ponding.

TeA – Tedrow loamy fine sand, 0-2 % slope. This soil consists of somewhat poorly drained, nearly level soils on outwash plains, lake plains and low beach ridges. This soil is commonly

cultivated and in some areas specialty crops are grown. It is also well suited for forestland. Common trees on this soil include bur oak, northern red oak, quaking aspen, green ash, slippery elm, red maple, black ash, white ash, silver maple, and eastern white pine. Potential productivity of this soils is 57 ft³ wood/ac./yr. There are severe plant competition concerns, and moderate seedling mortality concerns due to sandiness. There are moderate limitations for use as paths and trails due to wetness and sandiness.

In general, these soils should support the intended use as a recreational trail. The Granby soil is the only one of concern, however it is only a very small portion of the woodlot that likely won’t be part of the trail system. The Tedrow and Thetford soils, although classified as a moderate risk for trail development, appear to be of little concern based on field observations.

Soil education should be considered as part of the educational opportunities available in this project. (see the section, Planned Management Activities – Interpretive Signs, page 6-7)

Currently, the vegetation on the proposed outdoor classroom site consist of an area in a mature white pine plantation, a mature mixed hardwoods area, and a transitional shrub-hardwood area. The approximate location of these three areas is indicated in Figure 3.

Pine Plantation: The white pine plantation, approximately 4.0 acres, is the prominent feature of this site. The trees, likely planted in the 1960’s, range in size from sapling size to 21" DBH (Diameter at Breast Height [4.5 ft from the ground]). The average diameter of the pine trees is about 8" DBH. There are also a few scattered black cherry, red maple, and aspen trees that average about 8" DBH. These, however, make up a very minor component of the stand.

The basal area of the pine stand is 170 sq. ft./acre. (Basal area is a measure of density that estimates the sum of the surface area of all the tree stems at Breast Height per acre.) This is a very high density for trees in Michigan. This high stocking is responsible for the small average diameter of the trees, due to the competition between the densely stocked trees. The ground cover in the pine stand is quite sparse, again, due to the high density of trees, drastically reducing the amount of light reaching the forest floor. The scattered species that are present include ferns, grapevines and wild strawberries.

Mixed Hardwoods Stand: The hardwood stand, approximately 3.9 acres, consists of a variety of tree species. Found on this site commonly are red maple, cottonwood, American elm, and sycamore. The southern portion of this stand has an increased number of pin oak, red oak, and black cherry present. A few scattered individuals of other species add a bit of diversity to the stand. Black walnuts, sugar maples, pin cherries, and a few others have been identified on this site. The trees range in size from 4" DBH to 22" DBH. The average diameter of the hardwood trees is about 11" DBH. In general, trees are larger in the north, and smaller in the south, following what seems to be a natural successional expansion from north to south.

The basal area of the mixed hardwood stand is about 130 sq. ft./acre overall. This is a fairly typical density for trees in Michigan. The ground cover in this stand is moderately dense, and includes many tree seedlings, wild roses, honeysuckle, prickly ash, and scattered individuals of several different species.

Hardwood/Shrub Stand: This area, approximately 1.5 acres, consists of an early successional woodlot. This area is a younger version of the Mixed Hardwood Stand, with no distinct margin between them. This stand contains pin oak, red oak, black oak, black cherry, and elm. Some other understory species are also present, such as prickly ash, crabapples, and honeysuckles. The trees average around 4" DBH, although both seedlings and larger trees are present.

The basal area of the mixed hardwood stand is about 70 sq. ft./acre overall. The ground cover in this stand is very dense, and includes many tree seedlings, wild roses, honeysuckle, prickly ash, and scattered individuals of several different species, making it difficult to walk through.

This site has good wildlife potential for many species, because there is quite a bit of vegetation diversity present. The dense evergreens provide good thermal protection, while the variety of hardwoods and shrubs provide a variety of food sources for many species. There is evidence of deer, squirrels, rabbits, fox, hawks, songbirds, and many other species already utilizing the site. Information on further developing this site for wildlife will be included in the next section.

This 9.5 acre natural area will be used as an educational tool for students and the community. A footpath allowing safe and convenient access is key to development of this site as an outdoor classroom. This proposed trail will have two connecting routes, the main loop through the pines and hardwoods, and the secondary loop through the younger growth to the south.

In addition, several additional features will be installed, including a few benches, some bird and bat houses, and some wildlife practices, like brushpiles and den tree creation. Further, interpretive signs will be placed along the trail identifying different tree species, ecological characteristics, and the like. The final, exact, location of the trail will take these into consideration.

Following are more detailed explanations of the components of this project, in rough order of priority. Obviously this outdoor classroom will dynamically develop over many years, as new ideas and opportunities arise. These components should be considered the beginning of a long-term project.

Obviously, the first priority is creation of the trail system through the woods. This path will allow access to the woods for the educational use, as well as for installation and maintenance of the other practices. The trail should be a minimum of three feet in width, with minimum overhead clearance of 7 feet. The trail should remain at least 66 feet from the edge of the woodland area.

This trail should be placed in such a way as to minimize the number of large trees (> 4" DBH) that need to be removed. Where trees greater than this need to be removed, Van Buren township should be notified to assure compliance with their tree ordinance. In the pine plantation, few trees and shrubs will need to be removed, with more required removals in the hardwoods, and many in the shrubby area furthest south.

All stumps and other obstacles should be removed or cut below grade to eliminate trip hazards. The terrain, where necessary should be graded to a level walking surface. This should be a minor concern as the site is relatively level.

Where ground water or surface water is apparent at the surface, some fill may be necessary to keep the path dry. If this becomes necessary, check with local and state agencies to assure that there is no permit required. Likely this will not be an issue on most of this site, as field assessments have shown it to be relatively dry and passable.

Although the native soil may be an adequate surface initially, installation of a wood chip or mulch surface should be considered as a way to minimize soil compaction and erosion, ease travel and further outline the exact path.

The trail will be approximately 2400 feet long in total. This trail length will be finalized after the trail location is staked out.

It may be desired to concentrate on the main loop first, and the secondary loop at a later time as the labor and time required will increase dramatically in this area.

Two or three benches will be place approximately in the locations indicated in Figure 4. The exact location will be determined at a later date. These will be installed permanently and in such a way as to discourage theft and vandalism.

The interpretation of this site can be done in one of two ways.

(1) Numbered sign posts can be placed along the trail corresponding to literature available at the trailhead.

-or-

(2) Detailed interpretive signs can be placed along the trail that do not require accompanying literature.

Likely, the first option will be the easiest and cheapest to install. Additional signs could be used to identify species or other things that do not require detailed explanation. The location of these signs and the specific information will be decided at a later date.

Some concepts to address through this interpretive trail could include:

· Tree, shrub, and wildflower identification

· Habitat-type explanation

· Successional process

· Wildlife habitat preferences (pines, hardwoods, shrubs)

· Soil interpretive site (pit-type)

· Wildlife trees (trees with cavities, nut/fruit producing trees)

· Historical information

· Nutrient cycling (log/leaf litter decay) and tree life cycle

· Forest management and wood products information

Several different wildlife practices are appropriate to install on this site. Some of these include, but are not limited to brushpiles, nest boxes for songbirds and bats, release of mast trees (those producing a food source), and thinning of the woods (see the following Timber Stand Improvement section). See Appendix II for further information about the wildlife practices.

It may be desired to establish some trees at certain locations on this site. For instance, a windbreak/screen of dense evergreens could be established along the border of this woodlot to discourage trespassing by providing a living screen, and to create a visual illusion of a larger forest by blocking familiar sites like the adjacent sports fields and neighboring homes. This would be most critical along the east and west sides. This would serve a third purpose as being a valuable wildlife travel corridor.

White spruce is the best species for this type of planting as it is quite shade tolerant and tends to keep low branches as it matures. The east border is about 800’ long and the west, about 600’. At the typical 8’ spacing, two adjacent rows of trees would require 200 trees for the east side and 150 for the west side. Due to the large amount of shade, however, mortality will be high and trees will need to be replaced for several years until the entire screen becomes fully established.

Additional "specimen" trees may be planted as well throughout the site. Caution should be give to chose only those suitable to the soil type and shadiness of the site.

A general rule of forestry is "a healthy forest is a managed forest." Forest management typically involves removing specific trees to obtain a specific goal. While timber production is not an objective on this land, maintaining forest health and providing general wildlife habitat are.

To accomplish these goals, it may be necessary to implement a thinning regime. In the pine plantation, in particular, the density (basal area = 170 ft²/ac.) is extremely high, causing stunted growth and stress conditions. A basal area between 70 and 120 ft²/ac allows for full utilization of the site while still allowing for maximum tree growth. By thinning the stand down to this range, a rapid increase in tree growth would be realized, and tree health would improve.

Likewise, a thinning could be done in the mixed hardwood stand. Here, however, it might be more effective to implement a crop tree thinning. Refer to Appendix III for more information on crop tree thinning.

Obviously this site will require periodic maintenance. Woodchips will decay, posts will be damaged and weathered over time, brushpiles will shrink and collapse as they decay, and new ideas will be thought of to incorporate into the site. A long-term management plan should be developed, identifying who will be responsible for the long-term upkeep of this site, so that it is a great educational tool for years.