05-02-23 PTRC Special - Laserfiche WebLink

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Potential Partnership with Great River Greening for the Purpose of Habitat Restoration in Arden Hills Parks We showed the representatives of Great River Greening four Arden Hills parks that we believed are best suited for restoration at this time: three where city staff and volunteers have been working to remove buckthorn (Floral, Hazelnut and Chatham Trails) and one where work has not begun but was listed as a “high priority area” by the Rice Creek Watershed District in the city’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The following is a summary of their initial impressions with preliminary cost estimates. “With the varying degree of work being done across the four parks and the amount of maintenance the City would need to take on/coordinate after grant-funded work is completed, it would be best to look at phasing these parks over several funding cycles. I want to make sure anything we do or propose sets the City and others involved for long-term success. Here are my initial thoughts and are open for discussion.” - Todd Rexine, Director of Operations and Programs, Great River Greening Phase 1 - Hazelnut and Floral Parks Notes: there has been a lot of work done to date by [city staff and] volunteers. The sites just need the next big push. Open grown oaks at Floral point towards more of a Savanna restoration.(rough estimates: $104,500 for Floral Park and $70,000 for Hazelnut Park) Develop a Parks Natural Resource Management Plan encompassing Hazelnut, Floral, Perry and Chatham if not in place already. Woodland/Forested Areas: ●Continued management of invasive species (Broadleaf and woody). ●Tree thinning and possible ash removal. There are a lot of trees of similar age class and not a lot of signs of oak regeneration due to dense canopy. ●60% -70% reduction of the dead and down material. ●All wood material being removed would either be chipped and hauled off or ideally be processed as Biochar on site and spread back out. ●Initial planting of the ground layer with a simple savanna/woodland grass mix – This will help create a fuel load in prep for any future prescribed burn regime. ●After tree thinning, selective tree and shrub planting of desirable species. ○Floral Park specific-> Some of the planting areas would be in areas with a heavy poplar presence. The Poplars are a successional tree species and would provide a nursery environment while longer term species develop. Set up 2 year watering regime for all planted trees and shrubs. ●In the last year of the grant, plant and seed flowering plants. Planted material would be in 10x10 nursery plots that could be divided down the road and transplanted across the sites. Prairie Areas:Primarily Hazelnut but there is a section at Floral under the powerlines. ●Remove shrubs and trees that have encroached into the areas. ●Conduct a vegetation assessment. ●Burn off sites if able. Otherwise mow off sites and remove material. ●If there is primarily undesirable vegetation, reset the site by killing off the vegetation and reseeding. Attachment C