Consilience and Concinnity, A Few Thoughts by Dr. Gerould Wilhelm

Jerry Wilhelm Aug 2011 Calumet

Dr. Jerry Wilhelm at the Thismia hunt, August 2011, Wolf Lake

I first met Dr. Jerry Wilhelm in Hopkins Park, Illinois, on the property of my good friend Dr. Marianne Hahn in July of 2000.  I was part of a small group of about a half dozen people with the goal of botanizing this forgotten corner of Kankakee County.  Marianne has been restoring Sweet Fern, the name of her sandy Black Oak Savanna, since 1998, when she purchased her first three contiguous plots of land.  The 100+ acres have since been dedicated as an Illinois Land and Water Reserve.

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Marianne Hahn 2013

Dr. Marianne Hahn, retired microbiologist, at Sweet Fern

Fourteen years later, that day is a bit of a blur and I took no photos to record the event, but one thing I remember of that midsummer’s day, other than being the one chosen of lug the five pound copy of Plants of the Chicago Region, was Jerry’s excitement of walking through a very large colony of Polygonum Careyi, Carey’s Heartsease, a fuzzy stemmed member of the buckwheat family.  I can’t say that I felt the same excitement about the five foot tall plant, at my 5’8” frame, it was a struggle to walk through, and I was glad to get out of it, but I am not a renowned botanist and respected authority on Midwest native plants.  No I am not.  Nor am I the co-author of Plants of the Chicago Region, Jerry, however is.  He along with the late Floyd Swink compiled the 4th edition, published in 1994 by the Indiana Academy of Science.   

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Dr. Wilhelm signed my copy of his book at the end of the day

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The front piece in “Plants of the Chicago Region” showing a photo of Thismia

Eleven years later, our paths crossed again.  This time it was in the Calumet Region of Chicago, Chicago’s Southeast Side.  To celebrate twenty years of conservation in the area, a Thismia hunt was held, a veritable Who’s Who in natural areas conservation attended the event.  Several groups were formed and sent out to scour different local areas, my group went to Miller Woods, near Lake Michigan in Indiana.  It was great fun.  Thismia, not seen in the Chicagoland area in nearly one hundred years, was not found that day either.

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All participants received a T-shirt during the event

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The sponsors of the event

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Stephen Packard, in the straw hat, looking on as Linda Masters speaks to the group at the Thismia hunt

Last month, I, along with two of my friends, had the pleasure of sitting through a presentation given by Dr. Wilhelm at Independence Grove, in Libertyville, Illinois.  The host of the presentation was the Upper Des Plains River Ecosystem Partnership, or UDPREP, a group whose mission is “to preserve, protect, and enhance the Upper Des Plaines River Watershed through stakeholder education, collaboration, and technical assistance.”  With that mission in mind, Wilhelm spoke primarily on the importance of soil moisture, and the role it plays in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.

Jerry started out by equating our role in the natural environment to that of a pilot at the helm of a plane; he recalled what his mother would remind him, when she felt he was going astray as a boy, namely, that we must learn the rules, and abide by them, if we don’t, we are airplane pilots that are “losing air speed, altitude, and experience.” 

By burning woodlands and grasslands, as well as collecting wood for fuel, American Indians he said, historically, kept these areas open and full of sunlight thus playing a key role in keeping Midwestern landscapes in consilience, each separate element properly functioning so that other elements can function properly as well, as in a piece of mechanical equipment, a typewriter with all of its keys.  The result of a properly functioning ecosystem is concinnity – harmony and beauty.  As 21st century stewards of the earth, we need to know the rules and abide by them, or, as Wilhelm reminds us, we are headed for a rough landing.

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An open woodland, kept healthy with a seasonal burn, Crete, IL, 2013

“Annual autumnal burns are most healthy for biodiversity,” and he goes on to mention that they promote healthy populations of our native bees.  If too much duff builds up, the burns are too hot, and has the opposite effect of biodiversity.  In addition, annual burns, according to Wilhelm, keep organic matter high in the soil, thus reducing surface runoff during rain events, increasing available soil moisture to plants.

But soil moisture from rainfall is only one important source of water that is utilized by plants.  He briefly noted that condensation and respiration are two other important sources of water – “production goes down 50% if plants don’t get morning dew.”  As far as respiration as a source of water, as anyone who has spent a summer detasseling corn knows, the humidity inside a cornfield is much higher than outside the rows (this author’s personal observation.)

He went on to say that unburned, unmanaged woods result in a reduction of sunlight (less than 100 foot candles) hitting the ground layer, over time, as organic matter is lost from the soil, it is not replaced, there is no equilibrium as would be the case in a healthy system with more sunlight.  No annual burns = no grass layer = no organic matter being replenished by the roots of these lost grasses and associated forbs (wildflowers) due to the increased shade in unmanaged woodlands.  Grass roots die off, he mentioned, every three years, adding organic matter deep into the soil.  The loss of this regenerative process results in rainfall that runs off the bare surface of the soil, causing erosion and exposing fibrous tree roots, rather than penetrating deep into the lower soil layers.

“Corn and soybean plants do not add enough organic matter to the soil to keep up with what is lost due to tillage.”  Wilhelm mentioned that land can be in CRP (Conservation Reserve Program, administered by the USDA) for ten years and add ten tons of organic matter per acre and after 90 days of tillage that organic matter is completely lost.  On average, he notes that, ours soils today contain less than 2% organic matter.

Organic matter in soil, according to Wilhelm, creates an important “interface” between “heaven and Earth” that is currently lost.  Some of the effects include:

·       Temperature regulation

Wilhelm mentioned that ant populations go down without thermoregulation, organic matter helps the ants regulate temperature for larvae.  He noted that healthy woods have 15 to 20 ant species, while unhealthy woods have less than 5 or 6 species, and those are mostly non-conservative species.

With less than 52% soil moisture, soil loses its connection to the thermal mass of the Earth below.

·       Reduces runoff

      Soils with higher levels of organic matter not only allow water to enter the soil, it holds that moisture and  makes it available to plant roots.

·       Reduces leaching of potassium in to streams

The lack of organic matter (which binds soil elements) allows phosphorus to leach through soils into water bodies, a cause of filamentous algae blooms.

·       Increases soil moisture balance

Organic matter holds a certain amount of water, making it available to plants, the remainder flows through the layers of soil, out through seeps and into rivers and other bodies of water.  These moist soils along rivers therefore had trees due to the available soil moisture, according to Wilhelm.

Dr. Wilhelm touched on a number of points in his nearly two hour discussion.   The overarching message, however, is that we all, by our actions, however seemingly small, determine how well the living environment all around us functions, or fails to function.  Commoditized agriculture, he points out, does not take into account “high internalized costs” and that native plants, important keys on the typewriter that is our environment, continue to decrease overall – “A plant must be part of a system to fulfill its function, remnant ecosystems must be preserved so that we can grow out from them.  We need to treat every drop of water where it falls, as a resource, not as something to get rid of – water is a blessing not a bane.  Currently, we are losing airspeed, altitude, and experience.”

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Cardno JFNew Nursery Open House 2013

On a warm, windy day in Mid-July, I attended the Cardno JFNew Nursery Open House, located in Walkerton, Indiana.  The last time  I visited was in the year 1999, when I was still a graduate student in the University of Illinois’ MLA program.  Well, a lot has changed in 14 years!  JFNew was founded in 1989 by Jim New as J.F. New & Associates, it currently goes by the moniker of Cardno JFNew.  JFNew is a restoration contractor, native plant nursery, and so much more that it may be best to visit their site to check out all that they do. The nursery is 130 acres in size, during my visit, I saw about five acres.  Throughout the day, there were speaker presentations in the air-conditioned conference room, guided tours of the growing houses and fields, and a native plant sale.


The event was held in the pole barn where the seed cleaning equipment is held, with attached office space where the presentations, including one on permaculture by Dr. Katherine Kent, of Ivy Tech Community College, were held.  Other presentations concerned grant writing, invasive species control, natural areas restoration techniques, and The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

The building holding the indoor events, was surrounded by growing fields, including this large stand of Purple Coneflower.

The plant sale had trays, of 38 or 50 plants each, preselected for rain gardens, prairie gardens, and other conditions as well, or plants could be purchased individually in plugs or gallon pots.

 Demonstrations included a discussion on how air spades, in conjunction with a large vacuum, are used to identify the depth of utilities in work zones.

Another area displayed bioengineering products used in slope retention and restoration along the shores of water bodies including lakes and streams.

The bags are filled with a mixture of gravel and growing media

Other bags were seen in one of their shade houses, along with other emergent wetland plants…

..including Swamp Milkweed and Blue Flag Iris in one gallon pots.

Out in the fields, they were growing emergent wetland plants in “RootCarpets.”  RootCarpets consist of 15ft long by 3ft wide sections of coir (coconut) fiber, encased in woven coir blankets.  The blankets are 2.75 inches thick and wetland plants are installed approximately 12 inches on center.  During installation, the blankets are held in place with 12 inch long steel staples or hardwood stakes.  Live stakes (dormant woody cuttings) can also be driven into the carpets in spring or fall installations.

RootCarpet production beds

There was an amphibious machine called the “Marsh Master” on display.  Pretty cool.  It can be used to spray or mow invasive plants, such as Phragmites or Cattails in wetlands, with the proper attachments.  It even floats in open water.  It would be fun to that that baby out for a test drive!

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The greenhouses were full of plants in different stages of maturity. Some plant plugs in flats were about to be potted up to larger one gallon size pots.

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Others were just starting out in flats that contained 200 small seedlings…

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Such as these flats of Marsh Blazing Star planted at the end of June.

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Others like these Prairie Dropseeds, in 50 plant trays, …

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..and these Penstemon sp., looked ready to be sent out to restoration sites.

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An automated irrigation system ran along tracks hung above the plants.

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The growing fields full of Cardinal Flower and Rattlesnake Master will be ready for seed collection at the end of summer.

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Purple Coneflower must also be popular in seed mixes, if this field is any indication.  Every area of the nursery was incredibly well maintained and the plants looked great.  It was all very impressive and I was  amazed at the growth of the nursery (no pun intended!) over the last 14 years since I visited last.  

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During the mid-day break (the open house ran from 9am EST to 4pm) a lunch of BBQ pork and side dishes was served.  The food was tasty and, overall, it was a good day of hearing new ideas and gathering information on natural areas restoration, seeing how the plants are grown and bioengineering materials are used, as well as, meeting new people and reconnecting with old friends.  Congratulations to all the folks at Cardno JFNew involved in organizing such an enjoyable day.

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Connor Shaw Presents at the Will County Forest Preserve Native Plant Sale

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Midwest native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses were available at the plant sale.

 

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The landscape beds around the district headquarters contained an interesting mix of prairie plants and trees. Shown here are Baptisia australis, or Blue Prairie Indigo, in flower

 

Connor Shaw gave an informal presentation at this spring’s inaugural Will County Forest Preserve’s native plant sale on June 1st, 2013.  Owner of Possibility Place Nursery, in Monee, Illinois, Connor grows Midwest native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses.

In his presentation, Connor touched on how to properly plant a tree, the best time(s) to plant, and how to care for the tree after planting.

For field grown trees, otherwise known as balled and burlapped (or, B&B), he suggested that the best time to plant is early spring (March and April) or after the month of July, up until the ground freezes solid in the fall.  Connor also stated that “August is the best time to plant anything, roots can grow 24 inches by the first freeze.”  Evergreens were the exception: “Plant those in July, the candles (new branch growth) are grown out by then.”

 

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Connor Shaw, with a young oak from his nursery set on the table behind him. Note the shape of the pot. These stepped pots with small, 5/64″ holes along the ridges help to prevent circling roots.

When setting a tree in the ground, and determining how deep of a hole to dig, Connor explained that the root flare, literally where the roots flare away from the base of the tree trunk, should be visible after planting and elevated one to two inches above the surrounding soil level, or up to six inches above the surrounding soil, in areas that become inundated for 24 hours, or more, after a rain storm.

Connor expressed that, if planting more than one tree, the spacing between trees can vary from one foot to 25 feet or more.  Multiple trees can be planted in the same planting hole to form a “clump” or multi-stemmed tree. 

Overhead obstructions, including power lines need to be noted and the mature spread of a tree’s crown should be taken into account, when determining a planting location.

Holding a #5 pot (a pot which holds approximately five gallons of soil), containing a three foot tall Bur Oak, Connor explained how choosing to plant that young oak is most often a better choice for homeowners, than a tree three times its size.  Simply stated, larger trees require a longer period of after care.  As a general rule, it takes a tree one year to reestablish its root system for every inch of trunk caliper.  Therefore, a tree with a three inch caliper is going to require hand watering  once a week for three growing seasons, for any week that there is less than one inch of rainfall.  So that young Bur Oak will only need to be hand watered during its first summer. Or, Connor assured the audience, if the oak in the #5 pot is planted between September 15th and October 15th, it can be watered once at planting time, then forgotten, as far as hand watering goes.

An oak, once established, will typically grow two feet a year, in Connor’s experience.  I commonly have observed oaks that have grown as much as that and more in a season.  Oaks tend to push out new growth throughout the summer, as long as they are happy.  Connor noted, that while the larger caliper oak will be occupied with establishing its root system for several years (since most of its roots were lost, when it was dug from the field), the container grown oak (which had 100% percent of its roots from day one) will soon surpass it in height within three or four years.  Planting smaller trees is definitely the way to go, at least in a home landscape.  A street parkway, or other high pedestrian traffic public space may require that larger trees be installed due to other considerations

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A young oak (in my backyard) shows the amount of growth possible in just a three year period. Also note the trunk girth at the soil line in the current picture, compared to 2010. Leaving the lower branches on the tree also allows for faster growth, overall.

Finally Conner noted the importance of applying wood mulch, a few inches deep, around newly planted trees.  This helps to keep moisture in the soil and weed growth down, reducing the chance of mower or weed trimmer damage to the delicate bark.  The mulch should most definitely not be built up to form a “volcano” around the base of the tree, and in fact, it should be kept from coming into contact with the bark of the tree.  In addition, he strongly suggested protecting the trunks of newly planted trees with chicken wire to keep gnawing animals at bay, including beaver, explaining how he lost several newly planted River Birch, the first night after planting, to these critters.  To add to that, I would (and do) surround any young tree with four foot high wire fencing where deer are present and would likely eat the tree buds in winter and new spring growth.  Deer also seem to like to rub their antlers on the trunks of young trees, doing a great deal of damage in the process by way of girdling the tree and ripping off branches.  This wire fencing will protect the tree from this damage.

Connor’s  years of experience in growing a wide variety of plants was in evidence as he offered insight on what to pay attention to when planting trees, how best to approach the idea, and finally how a little care and protection goes a long way to getting the trees on a good start to a long life of providing shade, beauty, and habitat for wildlife.

 

 

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