Dr. Lee Frelich’s comments on EAW
This is a typical EAW stating that because most ecosystems in the area have been damaged by human use, it is OK to continue to do more damage. The entire impact statement system in the U.S. allows for continued chipping away at the remaining natural environmental legacy, and the more the ecosystem is changed, then the more OK it is to do even more damage. There were apparently no thoughts at the time the laws were made that it is going to be necessary at some point to restore natural function to much of the landscape. At that time, it was incorrectly thought that a few natural areas were all that was needed to preserve nature for the future.
Specific to this EAW:
The forest is described in the EAW as maple-basswood, but I think more accurate plant community types would be Southern dry-mesic oak forest (MHs37a) and Southern mesic oak-basswood forest (MHs38c), and on the terrace of the creek, Southern terrace forest (FFS59), as described in the Field Guide to the Native Plant Communities of Minnesota, The Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province (MNDNR).
The forest is said to have been logged three times since 1900. If so, where did the 80-90 year old trees come from? Probably it was selectively logged rather than clearcut--'logged' is not a very precise term.
Although it is true that we did not find any endangered or threatened species, this is what forest ecologists would call an 'intact forest'. In other words it went through the European settlement period with most of its ecological legacy still remaining so that it was able to regenerate itself, and most native species are still present even though there are some invasive species in the mix.
During the field visit I noted: white trout lily, wild geranium, blue cohosh, columbine, maidenhair fern, interrupted fern, other ferns just emerging from the soil at the time of the visit, bloodroot, yellow violet, blue wood violet, bellwort, wild leek, early meadow rue, wood anemone, Virginia waterleaf, Pennsylvania sedge, false rue anemone, jack-in-the-pulpit, Clayton’s sweet cicely, several bedstraw species (sweet scented and cleavers +), spreading Jacob’s ladder, impatiens, and enchanter’s nightshade. Landowners had photos of showy orchis. No doubt there are other species which are only visible later in the summer.
Director, The University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology
Fellow, Institute on the Environment
Photo by William Welke