At Cincinnati Nature Center, we’ve been encouraged by the growing interest homeowners have in gardening with native plants to nurture wildlife. A fraction of these native gardeners have patches of woods varying from a few acres to larger parcels—we’re starting to hear requests for a class on restoring woodlands for wildlife. As we’ve discussed class ideas, we’ve noticed some common misunderstandings:
Myth one: Owning the woods is enough.
While owning a woodland keeps it from being developed, the bigger perspective is if you own land and/or woods, you’re a land manager. Management choices are based on objectives and, to craft objectives, you need to start by assessing what you have. Our friends a Holden Arboretum have created a handy forest assessment tool: forest assessment from Holden Arboretum to assist with quantifying what you have and crafting of your objectives.
Myth two: Nature will take care of itself.
Acknowledging that humans are a functional part of nature and many challenges in the forest, like invasive species and high deer populations, are human caused, we can begin to take an active role in “helping the forest be itself.” We can help the forest reach its most resilient, complex state in which there are a broad mix of tree species, tree ages and sizes, and all forest layers (canopy, understory, shrub, and herbaceous layers) are productive.
Myth three: Cutting trees is bad.
Selective cutting of trees can help make a forest more diverse and better for wildlife for that forest’s future. You may need to cut trees as you work towards a larger benefit or a particular goal. If trees are so dense they elicit references to “the deep, dark woods” of childhood fairy tales, thinning trees may be required as you manage sunlight to allow all forest layers to be productive.
Myth four: Managing a woods is a quick “one and done” job.
Woodland management is a long game. While doing nothing is a choice, to truly care for a forest, we may need to intervene. With our large brains coupled with our mowers, herbicide, weedwhackers, and leaf blowers, we can do more harm than good in a hurry. What’s needed is the right action, in the right amount, at the right time. By assessing what we have, creating a plan, and taking measured action, we help the woodlands under our care to develop into diverse, resilient habitats that benefit wildlife and us.
