By Eric Harrold
O’Brien County Conservation staff will be holding a work day at Dog Creek Park on January 4 starting at 9:30 a.m., in order to remove invasive red cedars.
The work day was an item on the agenda at the Conservation Board’s Dec. 13 meeting at Prairie Heritage Center.
Conservation director Mark Wilson said the county is conducting the removal to restore native prairie that becomes shaded out as cedar trees establish and grow larger, crowding out the forbs and grasses that comprise the primary species of prairie communities.
Wilson said that partners from the Iowa DNR and The Nature Conservancy will be on-hand to assist with the work, which will mainly consist of chain saw use. He also said that tractors and skid loaders may be employed as well.
In addition to ecological restoration, cedar removal from fencelines will make property boundaries more visible.
Earlier in the year, ash trees were removed from the park due to infestation from the emerald ash borer. Removal was conducted because the dying trees pose a safety concern for park visitors.
Wilson said the bulk of ash tree removal from areas of high public use has already occurred, but selective removal over the next couple of years will be conducted in portions of parks managed as natural areas.