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The Reality:
McHenry County's oak-hickory ecosystem is almost extinct--Our oak-hickory woodlands have diminished by more than 88.5% since the time of European-American settlement (c. 1837). Oak woods once covered nearly 40% of the landscape, but today are found on barely 4% of the county's landscape.
Most of our oak-hickory woodlands and savannas may be lost in the next 15-20 years, according to area ecologists. The trees we see today are old (many are 200 or more years old), they are under stress from the changing land uses around them, they are rarely protected during the development process, and they are not reproducing due to invasive species like garlic mustard and buckthorn.
With existing trees dying out due to age and environmental stress, and with few young trees to take their places as the large trees die, we are likely to see a dramatic change in the landscape across McHenry County in less than a generation.
Solutions:
There is no simple solution. The future of our region's oak-hickory groves will depend upon the efforts of corporations, governments (local, state and federal), non-profits and individuals. No one agency, governmental jurisdiction, landowner or organization can save our oaks. But as a community, we can ensure that these majestic, sacred witnesses to our history will grace the landscape for our children's children's children.
Project Quercus:
Started in 2006, The Land Conservancy set up Project Quercus to explore our options to protect, preserve and regenerate the oak woods. Project Quercus is a diverse coalition that brings together public and private, government, corporate and non-profit interests, working collaboratively to create solutions to the problem of oak-hickory loss.
The main areas of implementation identified by the group are:
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Publicize tree conservation successes through an annual awards program.
- "Living with Trees" award program recognizes individuals, organizations, local units of government and others in the community who are going "above and beyond" to preserve, restore and promote oak-hickory woodlands in McHenry County. Seven awards and three honorable mentions have been presented since 2006.
2008 Nomination Form
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Regulation |
Develop a model Tree Preservation Ordinance focused on oak-hickory woodlands.
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A future phase of the project will involve developing a model oak-hickory preservation ordinance and conducting outreach to local governments to get it adopted and implemented.
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Start planting new oak (hickory) groves/woodlands/savannas:
To raise awareness of the need to plant more oaks and take better care of the ones we have, we have been working with area youth to promote the next generation of oaks.
- The kids have planted, adopted and named over 200 small oak trees at sites around the county. They are responsible for ensuring their trees are watered each week during the growing season for the first two years. The trees are raised by Glacier Oaks Nursery in Harvard and are 2-3 years old when planted.
- Kids are helping to collect local acorns for propagation and future plantings. We hope to turn the acorn collection project into an annual "Acorn Roundup" each fall.
- In Spring 2008, kids had an opportunity to help the nursery propagate the acorns collected the previous fall.
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Restoration |
Educate landowners about management and protection of existing oak woodlands.
- As more information is gathered about the character and condition of private woodlands in the county, an outreach effort will be designed and implemented aimed at promoting proper management of private woodland resources.
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Create an endowment fund to generate resources in perpetuity to fund Project Quercus.
Funds raised to support the oak regeneration project are now used only for hard costs related to the oak plantings (e.g. fencing, signs, etc.). The goal is to increase the fund so that it can be used to support all aspects of the program.
- Third Generation Oak Fund started in August 2007
- Memorial Oak Tree Program started in June 2008
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Determine the historical and current status of oaks in McHenry County.
- In 2007, the McHenry County Conservation District completed a comprehensive assessment of the change in oak woodland cover from the time of European settlement
(-1837) through 2005. The study revealed that while about one-third of the county had oak-hickory woodlands in the 1830's, today less than 5% of the landscape contains oak woods--an 87% loss.
- The second phase of data collection, the "Oak Keeper" project, began in 2008. Twenty-three volunteers are working to gther data at the larger, privately-owned oak woodlands in the county. This program receives significant support from technical experts.
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If we don't protect our land, who will? Join us!
The opportunities to participate are abundant:
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