Minnesota Oak Savanna Chapter: Identifying and Caring for Oak Woodlands Presentation

Identifying and Caring for Oak Woodlands

Between more open savannas and dark forests, oak woodlands are often underappreciated and misunderstood. Both high quality and restorable oak woodlands are precious and rare, but opportunities still exist. This presentation discusses where to look for and broadly how to care for and restore oak woodlands. Low-intensity surface fire is a core ecological process, and the characteristics of the non-woody vegetation are no less important than the oak trees. Understanding this is critical for sustained improvement of oak woodlands.

Registration closes Wednesday, July 15.

Date, Time and Location

Saturday, July 18 - 5:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

Eden Prairie Community Center at 16700 Valley View Road in Eden Prairie, MN 55346 (MAP HERE)

This event will take place in the Cambria Room on the First Floor.

Agenda

Social - 5:45 p.m. to 6:10 p.m.

Announcements - 6:10 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.

Presentation - 6:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.

Q&A - 7:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Event close - 7:45 p.m.

Questions? Contact Event Organizer Heather Holm at holm.heath@gmail.com.

About Dan Carter

Dan Carter is staff Ecologist for The Prairie Enthusiasts and volunteer steward at The Prairie Enthusiasts’ Mukwonago River Oak Barrens preserve. He is lead author of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ “coarse-level” assessment protocols for Wisconsin oak woodlands and oak openings. Previously, Dan was responsible for natural area assessment and planning for the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, Rundblad Research Fellow with Milwaukee Public Museum studying remnant oak woodlands and savannas, and coordinator of a sagebrush-steppe restoration experiment for The Nature Conservancy in Oregon. He earned a doctorate in biology from Kansas State University, with research focused on the reconstruction of tallgrass prairie plant communities, and a bachelor’s in biology from Grinnell College. Dan has been active in ecological restoration and reconstruction, first with prairies, since the middle 1990s.

The Prairie Enthusiasts is an accredited land trust with 13 local Chapters in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois. The Prairie Enthusiasts seeks to ensure the perpetuation and recovery of prairies, oak savannas, and associated ecosystems of the Upper Midwest through protection, restoration, and education. To learn more, visit our website at ThePrairieEnthusiasts.org.