Woods Keeper at
Chastain Park
Chastain Park Winter Update 02.04.24
Several of our workdays during the Winter months were spent working to remove invasive plants along the forest edge below the American Legion building. We took advantage of the nearby native plants (Goldenrod, Sunflower, Asters, Sedges, Anglepod and more) as we collected some of their seed and spread them into the recently worked over areas.
We are looking forward to Spring (who isn’t!?) as we turn our focus back to the slope along Lake Forest Drive and I’m sure we’ll pay a visit or two to Hamburger Pond for some invasive Elaeagnus control.
— Michael Hudgins
Woods Keeper
Anglepod vine Gonolobus suberosus
Before and After removal of invasive ivy, wintercreeper, privet and more
Handy dandy seed spreader containing our native woodland mix
Previous Updates:
Overview:
In Spring of 2022 Woods Keeper began work at Chastain Park in an area once nicknamed “kudzu canyon” that’s no stranger to restoration work. Many native plants like trillium, buckeye, sunflower, goldenrods, and asters are naturally returning in some areas while remaining invasive plants like English ivy still dominate in others (before-&-after shown below). Other targeted non-native invasive plants include privet, porcelain berry, elaeagnus, stiltgrass, and multiflora rose.
Working alongside Chastain Park Conservancy who is actively planting native plants throughout the park, Woods Keeper is continuing restoration efforts to remove and suppress these harmful invasive plants while nurturing the native plants and trees that support our local ecosystem. A small offshoot of Nancy Creek runs through the area supporting healthy populations of jewelweed, American jumpseed and much more. The stream flows over the roots of an enormous green ash tree (shown below), a tree so big it made the Atlanta Champion Tree list at #2 for this endangered species.
As the transformation unfolds from an unhealthy and overwhelmed landscape to a biodiverse and abundant woodlands, beauty will naturally follow. Check back for updates, or better yet come see for yourself!
**Does native habitat restoration mean every plant that’s non-native will be removed? No. We believe non-native plants can have a place in landscapes as long as they are not invasive. This issue is not black and white and often requires a nuanced discussion involving the specifics of the site.
Not only does invasive plant removal improve the health and beauty of our natural areas, it also makes trails more inviting.
Brian Barnes of Chastain Park Conservancy and Eli Dickerson of Park Pride measure the large green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica).
A host to swallowtail caterpillars and many moths, green ash trees also provide cover and food to many bird and animal species. The green ash has rapidly become endangered in North America due to the Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive beetle whose larvae feed on the inner bark ultimately killing the tree.
Still seemingly healthy for now, this green ash at Chastain Park measures over 11 feet in circumference, 100 feet high, and 60 feet in average crown spread putting it at #2 on Trees Atlanta’s Champion Tree list.
