Natural Area Management

The Lawn & Land Forum has started to identify viable and safe alternatives to glyphosate use on various landscapes including shorelines, coastlines and natural areas. We will periodically update this page with new interviews, webinars and case studies conducted on this topic. By the fall of 2021, the Lawn & Land Forum working group will organize these resources into a similar structure to our Sports & Recreational Field toolkit. This work is funded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Coastal Management Program.

Plant Selection Case Study: Investigation, Planning and Prevention

Nick Fuller, Chief Ecological Officer, Natural Communities Native Plants

Nick Fuller and Natural Communities Native Plants conceptualize IPM as a pyramid of control practices for invasive weeds in natural areas, shorelines and coastlines, "We need to rebuild our ecosystems from the ground up and probably the best way to do that is through the integrated pest management system."

Investigation, planning and prevention form the foundation of Fuller's IPM pyramid concept as shown in the slideshow below. Fuller said he first conducts an inventory of plants on the site, "Do you have any remnant communities on your site? Do you have strictly invasive species? Do you have a combination of native and invasive species? Are you starting off with an agricultural field or a blank slate? All those things are important to understand where you are at now and where you want to be going."

Fuller's inventories focus on the site's soil moisture and hydrological communities. Fuller shared an aerial of one of his recent inventories in the image to the right. The inventory color-codes different hydrological communities of wet soil in blue, mesic or normal soil in yellow and swales in green. Fuller elaborated, "Laying stuff out this way, you understand the size of the area, you understand the hydraulics and you can plan for that."

Fuller, also, tracks how much light an area receives of "full sun" or 6+ hours of direct sun, "partial sun" or 4-6 hours of direct sun and "shade" or 3 hours or less of direct sun. Finally, Fuller's assessments research the remnant ecosystems and plant communities that previously inhabited the sit over thousands of years. These site inventories largely determine next steps for native plant installation and management according to Fuller, "Once you understand what your site is, then you can begin to select the proper plants for the site."

Nick Fuller presented his efforts to reduce glyphosate use and manage diverse natural ecosystems during the Lawn & Land Forum's "Plant Selection along Shore and Coastlines" in September of 2020. For the full recording of that webinar, please visit bit.ly/MGGsept10recording.

Aerial of an inventory Fuller conducted for a farm site. The inventory color-codes different hydrological communities of wet soil in blue, mesic or normal soil in yellow and swales in green.

Plant Selection Case Study: Matching Native Seed Mixes with Ecosystems

Nick Fuller, Chief Ecological Officer, Natural Communities Native Plants

According to Natural Communities Native Plants' Nick Fuller, seed mixes "are the backbone of your restoration effort."

Competitive seed mixes in natural areas, shorelines and coastlines incorporate a diversity of native plants and adequate seed quantity per square foot. Fuller added, "While flowers are excellent for pollinators, they do not provide as great of competition against invasive species as sedges, rushes and grasses."

Native seed companies offer two seed mix types of community-specific and broad-spectrum. Fuller explained that managers can choose the most effective native plant seed mixes by conducting inventories and assessments that determine a site's ecosystem and plant communities. For example, if an inventory observes a prairie site with full sun (6+ hours) and wet soil moisture, Fuller would recommend Natural Communities' community-specific "Wet Prairie Native Seed Mix" that includes 14% grasses, 53% sedges and rushes and 33% forbs. All the seeds in this community-specific mix should germinate in the appropriate environment achieving a seed quantity per square foot of 133. On the other hand, Fuller anticipates that only 30 of the seeds per square foot of Natural Communities' broad-spectrum "Detention Basin, Raingarden and Bioswale Native Seed Mix" will germinate in a wet prairie community.

Invasive weeds can outcompete many native seed mixes even after strong site monitoring and planning. For these cases, Fuller recommends planting "the Navy Seals of the native plant world" of "Warrior Plants". Warrior plants aggressively spread their roots to prevent invasive weed establishment and erosion. Fuller constructed different lists of warrior plants for communities of Lake Michigan Shoreline, Wet Prairie, Marsh/Emergent, River/Stream Shoreline and Super Flood Tolerant.

Nick Fuller presented his efforts to reduce glyphosate use and manage diverse natural ecosystems during the Lawn & Land Forum's "Plant Selection along Shore and Coastlines" in September of 2020. For the full recording of that webinar, please visit bit.ly/MGGsept10recording.

Photo Gallery

Native seed composition tables for two Natural Communities' mixes of the community specific "Wet Prairie" and the broad spectrum "Detention basin, raingarden and bioswale".

Great Bur Reed- "Warrior Plant" that can outcompete cattails in wetlands

Plant Selection Case Study: Invasive Species Management Case Study

Shawn Sinn, Vice President of Land Services, Semper Fi Land Services Inc.

Shawn Sinn's work at Semper Fi Land Services, Inc. stresses ongoing vegetative maintenance to establish new plant communities. Sinn stated, "A freshly cultivated planting bed is a battleground and we want to put our natives in the best position to win the war."

Semper Fi selects control techniques for invasive weeds based on their life cycle. For annual invasive weeds, Semper Fi uses a combination of conservation mowing, selective mowing/cutting and hand pulling. Conservation mowing in the first native plant growing season treats the entire planting area 3-4 times to a height of 8-12 inches. In the second growing season, Semper Fi reduces mowing to 2-3 times. In the third growing season, Semper Fi transitions from conservation mowing to selective mowing spot invasive weed populations that occur. Sinn said that Semper Fi limits hand pulling of weeds, because it can cause unnecessary soil disturbance and pull invasive seeds to the surface.

Biennial invasive species generally allocate their energy to root growth in the first year and flower and seed production in the second year. Sinn recommends similar control techniques for biennials to management of annuals, but biennial invasive management requires conservation mowing for at least two years.

Perennial invasives are the hardest ot manage because they grow, flower and seed each year. Perennials return after mowing, making this control technique ineffective. Semper Fi resorts to selective herbicide application for perennials. Sinn and his team carefully select the correct herbicide product by factoring the type of plant controlled and the weed's location. For example, to manage a common reed or phragmites population in a wetland, Semper Fi will select an aquatic-approved herbicide that mentions control of grasses on its label. Sinn will make sure this herbicide selectively targets the common reed population by using a backpack or all-terrain vehicle pistol sprayer for application. Lastly, the applicator will spray the common reed population at the most effective time in the fall as opposed to the spring or summer.

Semper Fi, also, conducts controlled burns for young, woody invasive weeds, but not for herbaceous weeds that will likely grow back. Sinn recommends annual prescribed burns once the native species have matured enough to carry a fire, which usually occurs after the third growing season. Sinn elaborated, "Fire is a natural process that has many benefits including nutrient release, woody species reduction and can help with native seed germination as well."

Semper Fi typically provides these natural area management and invasive weed control strategies in four to six visits and one prescribed burn. Most of the time, Semper Fi's visits decrease over time as the native plant community matures.

Shawn Sinn presented his efforts to reduce glyphosate use and manage diverse natural ecosystems during the Lawn & Land Forum's "Plant Selection along Shore and Coastlines" in September of 2020. For the full recording of that webinar, please visit bit.ly/MGGsept10recording.

Photo Gallery

Slide of the different approaches taken by Semper Fi to control invasive weeds