Woodland Wheelbarrow: A Woodland Conservation Resource

Find a wheelbarrow full of useful resources about woodland conservation, ecological restoration, trees, and plant care. Roll up your sleeves and dig in!

Model Restoration Projects
Websites
Organizations
Publications
Seminars and Training
For Community Associations
For Homeowners

Model Restoration Projects

Arboretum Projects
Schulenberg Prairie – See the 100-acre restored prairie on the West Side
Woodland Demonstration – Park at Big Rock Visitor Station and hike up Heritage Trail
Meadow Lake – Visit it just north of the Visitor Center

Regional Projects
Chicago Wilderness
Award-winning projects

Worldwide Projects
Society for Ecological Restoration

Websites

Woodland Conservation
Society for Ecological Restoration
United Nations Environment Programme: Forest Restoration Information Service
Natural Areas Association
The Nature Conservancy Volunteer Stewards Network
USDA Forest Service Northeastern Research Station
The Morton Arboretum Soil Science Lab

Prescribed Burning
Nature Conservancy's Global Fire Initiative
US Geological Survey guidelines on prescribed prairie burns

Drain Tile Removal
The Wetlands Initiative of the Midwest US
"Miles of Tiles" article in Chicago Wilderness Magazine

Invasive Species Control
Invasive Trees, Shrubs and Vines
Exotic Species pages of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Midwest Invasive Plant Network
Invasive Plants Association of Wisconsin
USDA's National Invasive Species Center
Invasive Species Network, a joint project of the University of Georgia and the USDA
Invasive Species pages of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Invasive Species Node of the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII)

Land Use History

Nature Conservancy's Conservation by Design program
Planning resources from Society for Ecological Research
"Illinois Wildlife: A Historical Perspective" by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Illinois Natural History Survey
Land Use History of North America published by US Geological Survey Biological Resources Division

Trees
Deep Roots of Landscape Trees Comprehensive Guide to Current Research and Practice: A collaboration of The Morton Arboretum, American Nursery and Landscape Association and the International Society of Arboriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
vPlants, Herbarium records of The Morton Arboretum, Field Museum and Chicago Botanical Garden
Illinois Big Tree Registry
University of Illinois woody landscape plant identification database
Ohio State University Plant Facts
Virginia Tech Printable Tree Facts
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point ID cards for 24 trees
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Tree Database
Missouri Botanical Garden Botanical Name Database

Plants
EPA Greenacres FAQ
National Plant Data Center
Integrated Taxonomic Information System
vPlants, Herbarium records of The Morton Arboretum, Field Museum and Chicago Botanical Garden
National Museum of Natural History
New York Botanical Garden Database
http://www.botany.wisc.edu/

Organizations

Regional
Chicago Wilderness
Forest Preserve Districts of:
DuPage County
Cook County
Lake County
Will County
Kendall County
McHenry County Conservation District
USDA Forest Service Northeastern Research Station
Invasive Plants Association of Wisconsin
Midwest Invasive Plant Network
Aldo Leopold Foundation
Northeast-Midwest Institute
Illinois Native Plant Society

National and International
Natural Areas Association
Society for Conservation Biology
The Wildlife Society
The Nature Conservancy
National Council for Science and the Environment
United Nations Environment Programme: Forest Restoration Information Service
Society for Ecological Restoration
Ecological Society of America
Environmental Law Institute

Publications

Books
A Natural History of the Chicago Region, Joel Greenberg. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 2002
Forest Trees of Illinois, Springfield, Ill: Illinois Department of Natural Resources. 2006
Plants of the Chicago Region. Fourth Edition. Floyd Swink and Gerould Wilhelm. Indianapolis: Indiana Academy of Science. 1994
Handbook of Ecological Restoration, Cambridge University Press. 2002
Kane County Wild Plants & Natural Areas. Third Edition. Dick Young. Geneva, IL: Forest Preserve District of Kane County.  2008.
History of DuPage County, Illinois. Blanchard, Rufus. Chicago: O.L Baskin & Co., 1882.
A History of the County of DuPage, Illinois. Richmond, C. A. and H. F. Vallette. Chicago: Scripps et al., 1857
The Historical Ecology Handbook: a Restorationist's Guide to Reference Ecosystems. Egan, D., and E.A. Howell, editors. 2001. Island Press, Washington. D. C., USA

Articles
"Ecological Restoration and other Conservation Practices: The Difference," John Munro. Ecological Restoration 24:3 September 2006; 82-189.
"The Decline of Oak Forests," Craig Lorimer. BioScience October  2003. 53:10; 915.
"Long-term changes in an oak forest's woody understory and herb layer with repeated burning," Marlin L. Bowles et al. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 134(2), 2007; 223-237.
"Where has all the white oak gone?" Marc D. Abrams. BioScience. October 2003 53:10; 927-939.

Journals
Natural Areas Journal

Seminars & Training

Woodland Stewardship Training Program—Enroll in the Arboretum's new enrichment program to learn how to restore, manage and lead woodland restoration activities, under the direction of a natural areas manager.

The Morton Arboretum Natural History Classes
N011 - N014: Field Ecology: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall
N077: Aquatic Insects
N100: Deciduous Trees In Winter
N211, N315, N316, and N317: Local Flora: Spring, Summer, and Fall
N237 & N206: Northern Illinois Fauna: Winter and Spring
N242: Tree Identification and Ecology
N283: Ecology of Northern Illinois Butterflies
N301: Rare and Endangered Plants in the Chicago Wilderness Region
N303: Wetland & Aquatic Plants
N314: Plant Families
N318: Woodland Flora
N334 - N336: Introduction to Grasses/Understanding the Grasses
N375: Habitats and Humanity
N378: Reptile and Amphibian Monitoring
N448: Special Topics in Ecology: Monitoring Insects in Critical Habitats
N468: Methods in Restoration Ecology: Oak Woodlands & Savannas
N469: Methods in Restoration Ecology: Prairies
N479: Identifying Herbaceous Plants in Winter
N401: The Ecology and Plants of the Prairie

The Morton Arboretum Ornithology Classes
O100: Challenges of Birding
O601 - O604: Field Study: Birds of Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall
O207: Bird Monitoring Techniques
O209: Spring Warblers
O615: Conservation Issues
O640: Natural History of Birds: Conservation

Chicago Wilderness Training
Bird Monitoring Network/BCN Training
Butterfly Monitoring Workshop
Calling Frog/Frog Monitoring
Dragonfly Monitoring Network Workshops
Illinois RiverWatch Network: Citizen Scientist Training Workshop
Midwest Ecological Prescription Burn Crew Member Training
New Invaders Watch Program Training
Plants of Concern Workshops
StreamLeaders

For Community Associations

Hardy trees and plants
Plants Tolerant of Wet Sites
Plants for Shady Sites
Woody Plants Tolerant of Wet Sites
Native Shrubs of the Midwest
Native Trees of the Midwest
Spring Wildflowers of Arboretum Woodlands
Summer Prairie Plants
Landscaping with Native Plants FAQ
Creating Habitats and Homes for Illinois Wildlife
vPlants, Herbarium records of The Morton Arboretum, Field Museum, and Chicago Botanical Garden
EPA Greenacres
EPA and Chicago Wilderness award-winning area projects:
(Find descriptions of these projects at EPA Greenacres)
Valley Lakes Wildlife Restoration Project by Valley Lakes Homeowners Association in Round Lake, IL
Renaissance Circle Native Plant Garden by Renaissance Station Homeowners Association in Willow Springs, IL
Meadows of Birch Lake Homeowners Assoc., Lincolnshire, Illinois

Pond Management and Shoreline Protection
Streambank and Shoreline Protection Manual
Illinois Lake Management Association
EPA and Chicago Wilderness award-winning area projects:
(Find descriptions of these projects at EPA Greenacres)
Harbor Springs Property Owners' Association
Madison Club Homeowners Association
Danada Woods Townhome Assoc., Naperville, IL
Highland Lakes Homeowners Assoc., Highland Park, IL
Nantucket Cove Homeowners Assoc. , Schaumburg, IL
Crossings at Wolf Creek Community, Plainfield, IL

Turf Management
The Importance of Mulching
Tree vs. Lawn: Uneasy Coexistence
Ornamental Grasses
The Challenge for Increasing Rainfall Infiltration in Urban Landscapes
Safer Pest Control Project
"Turf War" Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker magazine, July 21, 2008

Tree Care
Deep Tree Roots
Tree Selection: The Right Tree for the Right Site
Transplanting Trees and Shrubs
Tree Root Problems
Preventing Construction Damage to Trees
When Oak Leaves Fail to Fall
Damaging Effects of Drought

For Homeowners

Hardy Plants for Home Landscapes
How to pick a native tree for your yard (Sun Times-6/27/2008)
Not so fast: Fast-growing trees not necessarily a homeowner's best choice (Sun Times-5/30/2008)
Understory trees: Small trees with big payoff (Sun Times-1/25/2008)
Scratch and sniff (Sun Times - 10/24/2008)
Toupee' plants fix landscaping (Sun Times-9/19/2008)
Patience required (Sun Times-9/12/2008)
Most oaks in area are at least 160 years old (Sun Times-9/5/2008)
Native Shrubs of the Midwest
Native Trees of the Midwest
Spring Wildflowers of Arboretum Woodlands
Summer Prairie Plants
Plants for Shady Sites
Plants for Shade Gardening
Swamp White Oak: Promising Urban Tree
Illinois Maple: A Special Blend
Landscaping with Native Plants FAQ
vPlants, Herbarium records of The Morton Arboretum, Field Museum, and Chicago Botanical Garden
New Elms for the Landscape and Urban Forest
Tree Provenance
Tree Selection: The Right Tree for the Right Site
Ornamental Grasses Plant Health Care, September 2000

Habitat Gardens
Trees & Shrubs that Attract Birds
Creating Habitats and Homes for Illinois Wildlife

Rain Gardens
Plants Tolerant of Wet Sites
Woody Plants Tolerant of Wet Sites
Rain Garden Network

Tree Care
Root, root, root for healthy tree planting (Sun Times - 10/3/2008)
Take care when mowing around trees (Sun Times-8/1/2008)
It's mulch better (Sun Times-2/1/2008)
Mulching Trees and Shrubs
Watering Trees and Shrubs
The Challenge for Increasing Rainfall Infiltration in Urban Landscapes
Tree vs. Lawn: Uneasy Coexistence July 2004
"Granddaddy" health (Sun Times-11/16/2007)
Soil Considerations for Growing Trees
The Importance of Mulching
Nature's gold: Don't throw those leaves away, love 'em and leave 'em (Sun Times-11/23/2007)
Composting

Landscaping Ordinances
LSU Model Landscape Ordinance
Proposed landscape ordinance from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
EPA Greenacres on Weed Laws
Long Grove, IL

Websites
University of Illinois Home, Yard & Garden Pest Newsletter
Michigan State University Landscape Alert Newsletter
Cornell University Branching Out Newsletter
Ohio State University Buckeye Yard and Garden Online
EPA Greenacres Natural Landscaping site
Midwest Ecological Landscape Association
Illinois Arborist Association
Illinois Landscape Contractors Association
vPlants™
Wild Ones Native Plants, Natural Landscapes