Edgewood Woodland Management Plan

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
1. Statement of purpose
2. Background
3. Site description
4. Identification of critical issues
2. Management Objectives
1. Ecological integrity
2. Education and research
3. Aesthetic enjoyment
3. Management Process
1. Identification and prioritization of management units
2. Control of invasive vegetation
3. Follow-up inventory and management
4. Long-term education and research
4. Timeline and Process

The Plan

I. Introduction

A. Statement of Purpose

The overall goal of management of the woodland along Edgewood Drive is to enhance the integrity of the natural ecosystem while promoting compatible human interaction with that ecosystem. Integrity means the healthy functioning of a diverse community of native biota, which necessitates the control of invasive species which threaten to dominate the system to an unacceptable degree. Promoting compatible human interaction encompasses two components: education and aesthetic enjoyment. Education is the primary mission of the three Edgewood institutions which are incorporated as Edgewood Inc. The aesthetic enjoyment component directs management to maintain the basic woodland character of the Park and Pleasure Drive while promoting a diversity of native species (especially woodland wildflowers).

B. Background

The property under consideration is owned by Edgewood Inc., the corporate sponsor of Edgewood Campus School, Edgewood High School, and Edgewood College, the three institutions located on the Edgewood campus. In 1904, the Sinsinawa Dominican sisters granted an easement to the Parks and Pleasure Drive Association between Woodrow Street and Edgewood Avenue.

The woodland area identified for management under this plan is called the Edgewood Woodland. This plan is intended as a working document which represents as accurately as possible Edgewood's intentions for managing the woodland area adjacent to Edgewood Drive. Edgewood values input from the pubic users of the Park and Pleasure Drive and will continue to seek such input in making adjustments to this plan in response to its institutional needs, to new ecological information, and to changing ecological conditions.

Site Description

The Edgewood Woodland is a narrow strip of woods, extending from Lake Wingra and associated wetlands to uplands on both sides of Edgewood Drive. The present plant community is the result of extensive human impacts occurring before and after European settlement and represents more of a transitional or ecotonal community than any one native plant community.

Prior to this European settlement, most of this area was oak savanna maintained by frequent fires set by Native Americans. The level of Lake Wingra was higher than at present, so that some of the current upland was probably covered by wetland or shallow lake water. Much of Lake Wingra itself was wild rice marsh, and early settlers referred to it as Dead Lake due to the heavy marsh vegetation and lack of an obvious outflow. The outflow to the east was apparently blocked by a large glacial moraine (originally the highest point in Madison) and water from the lake percolated through this permeable material to drain into Lake Monona. Around the turn of the century, Lake Wingra was dammed and large portions of the wild rice beds were filled in with material from the moraine (much of Vilas Zoo and Park were built on this fill).

The current forest vegetation has been strongly influenced by disturbance. The original landscape was likely savanna. In addition to large, open-grown oaks associated with savannas (a few of which remain today), at one time there were probably many oak "grubs", oak roots that repeatedly grew new sprouts which were burned off in the frequent fires and which are characteristic of much of the post-settlement oak savannas around Madison. With the suppression of fire following European settlement, these oak sprouts were typically released, resulting in instant oak woods with trees of nearly equal age. However, this apparently did not occur on this property, possibly because the oak sprouts were used as firewood or were grazed by cows. The result of fire suppression was instead the growth of other hardwood tree species.

The dense woods that developed on this property following fire suppression did not allow enough light for new generations of oaks to grow, since oaks have high light requirements. Instead, more shade-tolerant tree species grew under the oak canopy, including box elder, green ash, basswood, sugar maple, black cherry, and hackberry. These species had formerly been excluded by fires in pre-settlement times, and subsequently by grazing when the area was used as cow pasture. The marsh area, except for a narrow strip of floodplain forest, has remained wet enough to resist most tree invasion.

As is common in urban areas such as this, landscape plantings from nearby areas provided seeds of robust, invasive, and non-native tree species (especially Norway maple) and shrubs (especially honeysuckle and buckthorn). These new arrivals added to the increased shade, further decreasing the possibility of successful oak regeneration and tending to eliminate the native wildflowers in the ground layer. In addition, some invasive herbaceous species have subsequently moved in and established themselves in the area and its adjacent wetlands. An infestation of purple loosestrife is currently being managed, a clump of Japanese bamboo is being monitored, and a few garlic mustard plants were recently removed from along the fence bordering Edgewood Drive.

D. Identification of Critical Issues

A list of important issues related to the management of the Edgewood Woodland was generated by the work of the ad hoc Edgewood Woodland Management Planning Group and is included as an Appendix. The most critical of these issues are summarized below.

Education

Education is the primary mission of the three institutions which comprise Edgewood, Inc. Any management objectives and practices that affect Edgewood property must take into account the importance of education to the vitality of these institutions. Edgewood's faculty and students (from all three institutions) need to have access to the Woodland for research and educational purposes. In addition, the Edgewood schools have created a K-16 science collaboration that includes partnerships with other area schools and the UW-Madison. The Woodland is occasionally used by students, teachers, and researchers from these partner institutions as well. All of these educational uses, however, should be consistent with the other goals of this Management Plan.

The Edgewood Woodland also has significance in terms of education to the public. Many people use the Park and Pleasure Drive for nature observation, such as bird-watching or wildflower identification. Also, Edgewood's property between Edgewood Drive and Lake Wingra is part of the E-way, a community-wide system of open spaces and corridors that connect many of Madison's natural and cultural features. (The E in "E-way" refers to educational, ecological, esthetic, exercise, and environmental.) Edgewood College has been identified by E-way organizers as one of 27 "interpretation nodes" or "learning jewels" along the E-way necklace.

Maintenance of Ecological Integrity

The present condition of the woodland is not conducive to the continued health of many of its most valuable species, since invasive species are becoming more rampant with time. On the other hand, the area provides good habitat for a fairly diverse array of species of plants, animals, and birds. The management plan will consider the overall welfare of the biological community and attempt to promote the best aspects of the habitat. For example, if fire is to be used as a control tool, the possible deleterious effects to insect populations will be considered and minimized in the design.

The white and burr oaks are challenged in the canopy by faster growing box elders and Norway maples, while potential successor seedling oaks are inhibited by the increasingly dense undergrowth, especially buckthorn and honeysuckle. The shading and competition from these invasive species are also threatening the native woodland wildflowers that are still present (such as jack-in-the-pulpit, wild geranium, and mayapple).

The shade from the thick upper canopy that is developing, especially in areas dominated by basswood and maple, is reducing the understory so that the current level of visual screening is actually being reduced.

Aesthetics

Edgewood Drive has been used as a Park and Pleasure Drive since 1904. Originally built through an oak opening with views of the lake, the Drive was used by carriages and early automobiles. Today it is a more woodland environment, and is used extensively, particularly by pedestrians and bikers, for its aesthetic experience. Although everyone has their own sense of aesthetics, some of the features to which people appear to respond most favorably are: the awareness of being near the edge of the open lake, the feeling of being sheltered by a green canopy, the variety of colors and shapes provided by the diverse plants and animals, the coolness of the woods on a warm day, the sounds of birds and insects, and the feeling of being in a less urban, more wild landscape.

An important aesthetic consideration is to maintain the overall wooded aspect of the north shore of Lake Wingra when viewed from the perspective of the lake or the UW-Madison Arboretum which occupies the entire south shore. The Edgewood Woodland serves the function of integrating this portion of the Lake Wingra shoreline into the largely natural setting of the entire shoreline. Similarly, vegetation along the north side of Edgewood Drive helps to integrate the campus into the woodland vista of the Park and Pleasure Drive.

It is important that these sorts of aesthetic considerations be taken into account in the development and implementation of the Edgewood Woodland Management plan, and that management for other objectives not reduce the overall aesthetic value of the area.

Stormwater and Water Quality

The recently installed stormwater runoff management system related to current construction on the Edgewood campus has resulted in two disturbances to the vegetation in the woodland. These disturbed areas, currently covered by an annual grass to control erosion, need to be planted with appropriate native understory and groundcover plants soon. Additionally, the stormwater system located immediately east of Mazzucchelli is fitted with two sediment catchment basis with manhole covers. Careful planning is required to minimize disruption of rehabilitation efforts during periods of system maintenance (silt removal). Also, the health of nearby trees that may be affected by the stormwater runoff systems will be closely monitored for signs of stress.

Additional issues related to stormwater runoff that need to be taken into consideration are: invasive seed dispersals, pollution from automobile leakage and lawncare chemicals, erosion along the drive. Edgewood College faculty are currently working on a Department of Natural Resources Lake Management Planning Grant which is reviewing many of these concerns and considering options that protect the soil and lake water quality.

Trails and Public Access

The Park and Pleasure Drive itself serves well as a public contemplative walking path as it allows thousands of people a virtually "no impact" access to the Edgewood Woodland. Public access off the drive will be discouraged for several reasons:

• Much of the soil is marshy and unsuitable for a walking path.
• Increased access would probably result in increased erosion from mountain bikes, unsupervised trail construction, and vegetation removal.
• Undesirable activities such as littering and fire-building have occurred in the past.

Except for Unit 9, access to any trails that are created either for or by education and research activities will be limited to these uses. In Unit 9 (Rosewoods, bounded by Unit 1, Rosewood Apartments, Rennebohm Library and Reges Hall), the College may create trails and/or small clearings in the understory for contemplative activities (for example, those associated with courses or workshops) and for leisure activities (such as picnicking) that are consistent with the objectives of this woodland management plan.

Community Involvement

Ecological enhancement of the Edgewood Woodland is a long-term, labor-intensive project and provides good opportunities for educational outreach and volunteer activities. A volunteer effort modeled after the current Oak Savanna Restoration Project (a collaborative effort of the Dudgeon Monroe Neighborhood Association and the UW Arboretum) will be an important component of management and rehabilitation. Such community involvement can be usefully integrated with the public educational outreach purposes described above.

Traffic

Although traffic planning is not within the purview of this group, reducing automobile traffic would likely enhance the aesthetic experience for pedestrians and bikers, and is an issue which would be appropriate for the City to address in their role as managers of the Park and Pleasure Drive easement. Management activities of the Edgewood Woodland itself will be planned to minimize additional traffic along the drive, and parking will continue to be prohibited along the drive (with the exception of service vehicles and loading/unloading at Mazzuchelli Biological Station).

II. Management Objectives

The overall goal of management of the woodland along the Edgewood Park and Pleasure Drive is to enhance the integrity of the natural ecosystem while promoting compatible human interaction with that ecosystem (specifically education and aesthetic enjoyment).

A. Ecological Integrity

Ecological integrity in this context means the healthy functioning of a diverse community of native biota. The objective is to maintain a diverse woodland of native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers suitable for the conditions of the site. The woodland is composed of three community types: oak woodland, maple-basswood, and floodplain fringe. The development and management of different areas within the Edgewood Woodland (see discussion of management units in section III. A.) need to take into consideration the existence of these different vegetation communities. Each community type will be managed to preserve and increase biological diversity. Active management is particularly necessary to maintain the presence of oaks in the long term, but (recognizing the ecotonal and transitional nature of the current community and the value of managing for diversity) this will be done in balance with management for other woodland community types.

Depending upon existing conditions and specific management objectives in each unit, tree plantings might include basswood, shagbark hickory, hackberry, black cherry, red maple, and black walnut. Red or white oak might be planted in natural clearings caused by tree falls or in small clearings created by removal of invasive vegetation. Along the wet edge there might be river birch, silver maple, green ash, and (where there is sufficient light) swamp white oak. Sugar maple will be avoided, since it tends to dominate a site and reduce diversity.

Maintaining ecological integrity will require the control of invasive species which threaten to dominate the system. Honeysuckle, buckthorn, and Norway maple will be gradually removed from all areas. Native species which have increased due to past human impacts (grazing, erosion, fire suppression) will sometimes need to be selectively removed. Where the need for visual screening or other aesthetic considerations apply, plantings of shrubs and sub-canopy trees (such as hawthorn, hazelnut, dogwood, prairie crabapple, American plum) will be done. The ground layer will be enriched by planting native herbaceous species (including ferns, mayapple, wild geranium, columbine, trillium, jack-in-the-pulpit, etc.) common in both oak woodlands and sugar maple forests .

B. Education and Research

Education is the primary mission of the three Edgewood institutions which constitute Edgewood, Inc. As stated earlier (Section I.D.), students and researchers from Edgewood and partner institutions need to have access to the Woodland for research and educational purposes. The management of the woodland will itself become part of the science curriculum for the three Edgewood schools, and also part of a more general public education outreach effort in ecological citizenship aimed at users of the Edgewood Park and Pleasure Drive. Exhibits will be developed at the Mazzuchelli Biological Station to promote public education on the Woodland management goals and activities, on wetland and water quality issues, on the historical, ecological, and cultural aspects of the E-way, and on the value of long-term ecological planning and research. A management objective is to promote these educational goals.

C. Aesthetic Enjoyment

The aesthetic enjoyment component directs management to maintain the basic woodland character of the Park and Pleasure Drive while promoting a diversity of native species (especially woodland wildflowers). The aesthetic value of the current woodland (see Section I.D.) will continue to be taken into consideration in meeting the other management objectives.

The most critical visual screening elements are the shrub and subcanopy layers north of Edgewood Drive which screen the campus buildings from users of the Drive, and the canopy and subcanopy layers north and/or south of the Drive which screen the campus buildings from the users of Lake Wingra and the Arboretum. An aesthetic objective is to preserve and enhance those critical screening elements. In less critical areas the sense of screening or enclosure will vary with the ecology of the site.

Aesthetics may be enhanced by managing for a more natural patchiness (spatial heterogeneity) in the layering of vegetation, so that more light can reach the forest floor in spots and the overall diversity of habitat types will be increased. Critical screening will be maintained, but Edgewood Drive users will travel through several woodland types with varying degrees of enclosure, including internal views into the woods and external views over the lake.

III. Management Process

A. Identification and Prioritization of Management Units

Preliminary inventory has resulted in the identification of nine different management units, each of which has its defining characteristics (e.g., dominant canopy, understory, topography) and its own management issues (e.g., visual screening, invasive vegetation). The ongoing management process will mean that each management unit will be considered separately with respect to the following questions:

• What management practices are needed to protect and promote the ecological integrity of this area?
• What educational opportunities does each area provide?
• What is needed in order to maintain the woodland aesthetics of the area?
• What opportunities are there to enhance aesthetics in this area?

Although units will be managed according to their particular characteristics, the management process will take into consideration the relationship between different units. Thus, adequate visual screening can be maintained by designating management units on alternate sides of the road, so that screening is provided at all times on at least one side (even if some removal of exotic vegetation needed to occur on the alternate side).

The nine proposed management units for the Edgewood College woodland are described below. These are proposed units based on an initial analysis of the woodlands. An area of approximately 12.7 acres was surveyed and the units are presented in map form at the end of this report. A table summarizing some of the important characteristics of each proposed unit is also attached.

Unit 1: Upland Hardwoods

Potential management activities: phased removal of buckthorn and honeysuckle from the understory in patches moving north and away from the Park and Pleasure Drive; phased removal of a few Norway maples in the unit to promote oak regeneration; concomitant with these removals, there will be new plantings of native shrubs and herbaceous species (see Section II.A. for a list of appropriate species.

Unit 2: Slope Forest West

Potential management activities: phased removal of buckthorn and honeysuckle from the understory; phased removal of Norway maples; removal of some understory trees to promote an oak-woodland herbaceous understory and oak regeneration; new plantings emphasizing native herbaceous species.

Unit 3: Central Slope Forest

Potential management activities: phased removal of buckthorn and honeysuckle from the understory on a patch by patch basis; concomitant planting of native understory shrub species in patches to replace nonnative removals; planting of desirable oak species.

Unit 4: Eastern Lake Forest

Potential management activities: phased removal of buckthorn and honeysuckle from the understory on a smaller patch by patch basis and in a sequence that runs parallel to the park and pleasure drive; removal of some understory trees to promote open patches with an oak-woodland herbaceous understory and oak regeneration.

Unit 5: Slope Forest East

Potential management activities: maintain full canopy dominated by maples; minimal removal of nonnative species; some planting of desirable understory and shrub species; continued monitoring of Japanese bamboo.

Unit 6: Border East

Potential management activities: minimal removals of nonnative species; some planting of desirable understory and shrub species; not as high management priority as other units.

Unit 7: Campus Screen East

Potential management activities: some planting of desirable understory and shrub species; selective Norway maple removal to promote native tree species and a more dense, native understory.

Unit 8: Campus Screen West

Potential management activities: minimal removals of nonnative species; heavy planting of desirable understory and shrub species to improve the vegetation density and woodland aesthetics is a high priority.

Unit 9: Rosewoods

Potential management activities: removals of nonnative species; plantings of native shrub and herbaceous species; possible thinning of understory adjacent to the library; creation of trails and small understory clearings for educational and leisure use by Edgewood students and staff.

Storm Drain Clearings

Potential management activities: minimal removals of nonnative species; some planting of desirable understory and shrub species; high priority to establish sufficient ground cover to prevent erosion and to establish native vegetation; ecological engineering (perhaps including the use of constructed wetlands) of the stormwater drainage area to enhance filtering of sediments and pollutants that are carried to the lake.

B. Control of Invasive Vegetation

C. Follow-up Inventory and Management

Following this inventory, desirable native species will be planted compatible with the soil and site conditions of each management unit. Such a survey enables us to be as non-disruptive as possible. Removal of invasive exotics such as honeysuckle and buckthorn will be achieved in a prudent, non-disruptive and ecologically sound manner. An especially important aspect goal is to monitor current light levels on the forest floor to maintain native wildflower populations and forestall weed growth. The process must a gradual one, replacing honeysuckle with desirable native understory trees, shrubs and wildflowers as "forest floorspace" becomes available.

D. Long-term Education and Research

The long-term study and management of the Edgewood Woodland (and associated wetlands) play an important part in carrying out this shared mission. Thus, faculty and students throughout the K-16 level will collaborate on various aspects of the implementation and further development of this Woodland Management Plan, in support of the science education model being developed on the Edgewood campus.

Our intention, too, is to continue to include the larger community in this plan's further implementation and development. The hope is that the study and management of the Edgewood Woodland will eventually be seen as one aspect of a larger ecosystem planning and management process which extends to include the wetlands, entire campus, the adjacent neighborhoods, and the Lake Wingra watershed.

III. Timeline and Process

The first management units to be targeted will be the Storm Drain Clearings, which require seeding and planting of native species to prevent erosion and invasion of weeds. This work will be begun in early spring of 1998, so that ground cover can begin to be established as early as possible.

Unit 1 (Upland Hardwoods) will be used as a test case for focusing early management activities, largely because visual screening issues are less critical there. It is hoped that this work will begin in late 1997 is one segment of the park, woodlands, and natural areas surrounding Lake Wingra which give most of its shoreline a natural appearance in the midst of an urban area. Specifically, the Edgewood Woodland is the wooded area adjacent to Edgewood Drive, including the area extending south of the drive to the wetlands and shore of Lake Wingra. The present management plan specifically excludes the easement granted to the City, and previously developed areas within this woodland area. The City Parks Division is responsible for management of the easement area, and it is developing a management plan for that area that is consistent with this proposed plan. Over the long term, the intent is view the area holistically and consider the implications of ecological management for the adjacent wetlands, the lake, and the larger campus and neighborhood.

The need for a long-term management plan for this woodland area was identified during the process of developing a comprehensive Master Plan for the Edgewood campus. A preliminary plan was developed by staff of Edgewood College and the Parks Department, with assistance from ecologists at the UW-Madison Arboretum. As a result of feedback from the Madison Parks Commission (which oversees issues pertaining to the Park and Pleasure Drive), an ad hoc Edgewood Woodland Management Planning Group was formed to further develop the Edgewood Woodland Management Plan and to incorporate input from neighbors and users of the Drive.

This plan reflects considerable neighborhood and other public early 1998 and completed in 1999.

The current ad hoc Edgewood Woodland Management Planning Group will continue as an ad hoc Edgewood Woodland Management Working Group. This group, open to all interested parties and including representatives from Edgewood, the Parks Department, and the Vilas and Dudgeon-Monroe neighborhood associations, will continue to act as a technical advisory group and as a conduit for community input into the management of the Edgewood Woodland. It will work with the Edgewood College Natural Science Department and other Edgewood personnel to coordinate neighborhood volunteer management activities and monitor the implementation and revision of the plan. Through at least 2002, an annual report of management activities and updated management plans will be developed by the Natural Science Department, reviewed by the ad hoc Edgewood Woodland Management Working Group and Edgewood Inc., then distributed to the Edgewood/Neighborhood Liaison Committee and the Madison Parks Commission.

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