2002 Natural Resources Management

Home

Upland Natural Community Descriptions and Management Recommendations Central Park hosts a number of upland natural communities, including oak woodland - brushland and lowland hardwood forest. Some 50 to 100 years ago, most of the upland landscapes within the park would have been more open, with scattered groves of oak trees near Bennett Lake and grasses, perhaps prairie, under them. More recently, in the absence of periodic fire and grazing, these open areas were pioneered by trees typical of low -lying areas. Many areas in the upper Midwest exhibit similar characteristics and will go through a maturation process. Community CP -U1 Oak Woodland- brushland Qualitative Rank: D Nonnative Shrub Rank: 15 This community includes two parcels one on the northeast side of Bennett Lake and the other on the southwest side of Bennett Lake. The northeast segment includes a narrow strip of floodplain forest along the shore of the lake, as well as the trail system and some tree /shrub plantings. Here, the oldest trees are widely scattered larger bur oak, with stands of younger boxelder, quaking aspen, green ash, and cottonwood present. Nonnatives black locust and Siberian elm are also present here in moderately low numbers. Most of the younger trees are less than 10 inches in diameter. The shrub layer is moderate in thickness in most places with young green ash and boxelder being most common. Other notable members of the shrub layer here include common elder, juneberry, and the nonnatives European and glossy buckthorn, Tartarian honeysuckle, Siberian elm, Russian olive, black locust, and white mulberry. The ground layer varies from sparse and poor quality in areas that have recently been colonized by trees, to moderate quality in areas where prairie species persist. Nonnatives are common in City of Roseville 85 Parks Natural Resource Management