Research Partnerships

Spring Ephemeral Plant Restoration

This study is being conducted in collaboration with NKU and Greenacres Foundation. 

Addressing a knowledge gap in woodland restoration, this study investigates whether spring ephemeral plants can be re-established on the forest floor after invasive shrubs, such as Amur honeysuckle, have been removed. This study is being conducted in collaboration with NKU researchers Kristine Hopfensperger, Ph.D. and Denice Robertson, Ph.D., and NKU undergraduate students. The study is funded by a grant from Greenacres Foundation.

A number of study plots are established at the Nature Center on sites where honeysuckle has recently been removed. Researchers are comparing the success of different methods of re-establishing spring ephemerals: seed spreading, planting bare-root plants, and planting seedlings. A number of other environmental variables are being investigated as well. The results of this study will help inform the Nature Center and other land practitioners on the best methods for restoring these native plants to the forest floor.