A stroll within the woods has a distinct which means at Stand 13 on the Rheinstrom Hill Audubon Sanctuary – getting hit by branches is an indication of success! This stand used to have a extreme lack of biodiversity, little or no understory, and an invasion of Barberry. It was primarily unhealthy white pine and striped maple.
As we speak, the Wooden Thrush inhabitants has quadrupled, and the range of tree, shrub, and different plant species has tripled. Twenty-seven chicken species have been detected that weren’t within the space earlier than.
Stand 13 appears to be like and sounds drastically completely different from the woods round it due to three bird-friendly forestry actions: In 2014-2015, a reduce was performed throughout the total 2.5-acre space, the invasive Barberry was handled so it couldn’t regenerate, and a seven-foot-tall deer fence was put in to guard all new development.
Due to this, no extra vegetation wanted to be added. Time, solar, and safety from deer all created profitable situations for regrowth. Oak timber, hickory, maple, wild basil, grape, and wildflowers arose naturally from the seed financial institution (the pure storage of reside seeds hidden in leaf litter or inside the filth). A wholesome forest was simply ready to blow up again to life!
Like so lots of at the moment’s northeastern forests, Stand 13 was round 50-90 years previous, having grown again after the realm was cleared and utilized as farmland. Mr. Rheinstrom, the earlier proprietor, had partially replanted the property starting within the Thirties– however planting occurred , and principally in rows that had been too shut collectively. This meant there was an actual lack of age variety and no understory.
When Audubon acquired the property within the Nineteen Nineties, it didn’t present appropriate habitat for a full suite of forest-breeding birds. With that objective in thoughts, we created a forest stewardship plan and commenced creating demonstration websites like Stand 13 to point out how completely different bird-friendly forestry practices create wholesome habitat.
We conduct chicken and vegetation surveys in any respect our demonstration websites twice a yr, on the identical precise factors inside the stand. As Stand 13 transitioned from clearing to younger forest to extra mature forest space, we surveyed Japanese Towhee, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Ovenbirds, and Chestnut-sided Warblers, amongst others.
Surveys additionally confirmed that saplings contained in the fence grew 4 instances quicker than exterior, invasive species stay negligible, and as said above, the Wooden Thrush inhabitants quadrupled!
In 2024, ten years in, we took one ultimate motion and eliminated the deer fence. Deer nonetheless keep away from the realm as a result of density, as a result of they produce other simpler locations to forage.
Stand 13 is on a publicly-accessibly path on the Rheinstrom Hill Audubon Sanctuary in Hillsdale, NY. We welcome all guests year-round and advocate checking our event calendar for staff-led excursions of the forest demonstration websites.
