Land management

Prescribed burns

• Prescribed burning encourages native plant growth while maintaining open prairies and discouraging invasive plant growth.

Hand work

• Invasive species are a main concern in restoration work. Once a prairie has been established, many species are most effectively managed by hand-weeding. This work is accomplished with the help of summer interns, Operation Fresh Start crews and our faithful volunteers.

Mechanical techniques

• Mowing is an important management technique to help combat invasive species and encourage native plant growth.

Selective timber harvest

• Pine stands and hardwood forests are best maintained by using selective harvest techniques that allow a diverse age class of healthy trees to remain as a future seed source and to provide for wildlife habitat, aesthetics and good water quality. Riverland Conservancy actively manages our woodlots with the future health of the landscape in mind.

Seed collection

• Riverland Conservancy restorations are created using local genotype seed. We use hand collecting and mechanical methods to collect seed from our prairie to enhance and expand our plantings.