Restoration
This section will be posts about the restoration work we do on the farm. Our aim is to restore the land to the way it was before it was farmed. (Mike guesses it will be a 100 year project - and we're only 9 years in!)
We started learning about prairie and savanna restoration in 2000, when we bought this property. We spend much of our time here working on various restoration projects. We're still learning and experimenting, trying to find techniques that work well for us, and for the kind of land we have.
To see a tour of the farm, and an overview of the whole project, click HERE.
These are the four main kinds of restoration work we do, with information about some of the techniques we use.
Planting prairie in fields that have been cropped for many years.
Planting prairie in "old fields" – fields that were cropped at one time, but have been left fallow for years. (We haven’t started this yet – it’s the next step once we finish all the cropped fields. Also, we haven't figured out exactly how to go about it.)
Maintaining and enlarging the many prairie/savanna remnants on the property.
Restoring wetland areas that have been overgrown with exotic weeds – mostly Reed Canary Grass and Wild Parsnip.
Trying to control or remove various exotic weeds that are invading our land. These include Garlic Mustard, Honeysuckle, and Buckthorn.
(This area is under construction - please come back and check on it later.)