Excitement ensues during a Buckthorn Bash at Eagle Center Prairie!
April 22, 2024 | Topics: Places
By Helen Holz, Waukesha County Land Conservancy
Photography by Eddee Daniel
A flurry of excitement interrupted the Buckthorn Bash! Waukesha County Land Conservancy staff members switched abruptly from cutting buckthorn to firefighting mode when a burning brush pile grew larger than expected! The wind had suddenly changed speed and direction and the fire started spreading quickly.
Fortunately, once folks mobilized to fight it, the fire was put out quickly. We are very grateful to the Eagle Fire Department for their swift response. Although there was no actual fire to extinguish by the time they arrived, their quick response was very reassuring!
It was a learning experience for everyone. The short-lived brush pile burn is a great example of things that can go wrong and a reminder to have safety measures in place like water, tampers, and fire extinguishers ready at a moment’s notice, no matter the size of your intended fire.
The brief incident didn’t put a damper on the day, however. More than twenty volunteers worked all afternoon, clearing an entire hillside of buckthorn! We are extremely thankful to have had our community work tirelessly alongside us to help care for this exceptional natural area.
Eagle Centre Prairie Preserve, designated a State Natural Area by the WI DNR, got its name due to its picturesque and significant prairie remnants that are still present. Prairies are extensive grasslands with wildflowers and minimal tree coverage—usually less than 10% canopy, meaning there are very few trees per acre, if any. Oak savannas, on the other hand, have a canopy cover of 10-30%, blending scattered oak trees with grasslands. This transitional ecosystem supports a combination of prairie and woodland species, with around 5-20 trees per acre.
Two hundred years ago Waukesha County consisted primarily of prairies and oak savannas, along with scattered woodlands (30-80% canopy cover). If vegetation like grasses, sedges, or wildflowers are not present beneath a woodland canopy, it may suggest either the encroachment of invasive tree species like buckthorn or the absence of natural events like wildfires, which help in keeping tree populations down.
This property is home to a wonderful combination of ecosystems, including a dry-mesic to dry prairie, bur oak savanna, and oak woodland. Unfortunately, these landscapes are at risk and are classified as vulnerable, imperiled, and critically imperiled here in Wisconsin. Eagle Centre Prairie Preserve is home to several extremely rare plant species, including the endangered purple milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens), threatened kittentails (Veronica bullii), special concern death compass (Zigadenus elegans), and special concern Wilcox’s panic grass (Dichanthelium wilcoxianum).
The detrimental effects of invasive buckthorn on local ecosystems is clearly evident here. Buckthorn is the first to leaf out in spring and the last to shed in winter, forming a dense canopy that competes with native plants for essential resources like light, moisture, and nutrients. As a result, native flora is displaced, disrupting the entire ecosystem and with it, the food chain for our wildlife. Hence the need for our Buckthorn Bash!
We at Waukesha County Land Conservancy extend our heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers who participated in the Buckthorn Bash! Together with the community, we successfully cleared a whole hillside of buckthorn and other invasive woody plants. The proverb “many hands make light work” proved to be accurate as this once shaded hillside now received much-needed sunlight and finally got a breath of fresh air. A big thank you to everyone who joined us!
Related stories:
Goats Boost Effort to Restore Woods Through their Browsing Habits!
Buckthorn brigade tackles Sanctuary Woods
Emphasizing the “Control” in Controlled Burn at Pringle Nature Center.
Fellenz Woods Preserve: A controlled burn
For more information about Eagle Center Prairie Preserve go to our Find-a-Park page.
Helen Holtz is a Land Management Director for Waukesha County Land Conservancy, which is a project partner of A Wealth of Nature. Eddee Daniel is a board member of Preserve Our Parks.
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Glad to see the efforts to control the buckthorn. So sad to see so many trails taken over by this invasive plant which becomes a tree.
Barbara Giese