Greetings from Cuyahoga Valley National Park!
It has been an extremely hot and humid summer here in Northeast Ohio.
The last few weeks the team has been a part of a variety of projects including our first encounter with Ailanthus altissima (or Chinese Tree of Heaven).
The team used chain saws to cut, buck and girdle a grove of Ailanthus altissima at Site #4 - Terra Vista. (Photo below)
Team Members also presented a midseason presentation to a group of student workers who were working at CVNP for a few weeks with Resource Management. The team took the students on a roughly 2 mile (round trip) walk along the tow path trail to the Beaver Marsh. Along the way members asked/answered questions about various plants and also told the students about the history of the park, Cuyahoga River, Ohio and Erie Canal, and SCA's partnership with the Park.
Students learned about the history and progression of invasive/non-native species introduction into the Park and what the SCA Team was doing to help combat expansion. The work the student's had been doing was directly tied to the SCA Team's work so the presentation came full circle when they understood that there was a larger goal to achieve. (Photos below)
The highlight of the presentation for many was a chance to see the native wildlife and flora at the beaver marsh itself. (Photo below)
Another interesting project the team worked on was removing a Japanese vine: Kudzu (of the genus Pueraria). The team worked alongside Park Staff and helped to cut, treat and spray the fast growing vine.
The weather seems to be cooling down now as fall approaches but there is still plenty of work to do. Stay tuned for the next update and we all hope you are doing great whether you are in the field or getting ready to hit the project season,
Best,
SCA Native Plants Team at CVNP
