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Fighting Chinese Lespedeza in ACLT’s Meadows

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By Grace Mayer, Chesapeake Conservation Corps Intern

This summer, ACLT is testing the effectiveness of two different control methods on Chinese lespedeza. Many of ACLT’s meadows have been home to lespedeza, an invasive forb that spreads quickly and out-competes native grasses and flowers. ACLT has had success in controlling lespedeza in the past using a combination of herbicide, controlled burns, and mowing. However, one meadow that is heavily infected with Chinese lespedeza sits between ACLT’s Double Oak Farm and Food Forest. Organic herbicides and solarization were tested in an attempt to find a successful organic method of control that poses the least risk to the food production happening on both sides of the site. 

 

Lespedeza in control plot

Upon first application, the organic herbicide d-limonene and vinegar both showed some effect on the lespedeza. Many of the plants sprayed with d-limonene were brown and wilting, while plants sprayed with vinegar showed similar but lesser effects. D-limonene acts as a degreasing agent, dissolving the plant’s cuticle and drying it out. Vinegar ruptures the plant cells’ walls, causing the leaves to leak water. Both act to dehydrate the plant, and while both caused some lespedeza to wilt; more leaves on the plants sprayed with d-limonene were brown and dried out compared to the plants sprayed with vinegar. After spraying the plots a second time, the plot sprayed with d-limonene had a visibly lower density of lespedeza and the remaining plants were shorter. While the area sprayed with vinegar did have a slightly lower density of lespedeza than the control plot, the d-limonene was much more effective. 

Lespedeza sprayed with d-limonene twice
Lespedeza sprayed with vinegar twice

In addition to testing the effects of the organic herbicides, the plots are meant to test the effectiveness of solarization on lespedeza. ACLT has tested solarization in the same meadow in the past, so this year solarization was tested in tandem with the herbicides. A total of three plots were covered with black plastic. Two of the plots were covered with plastic after being sprayed with either d-limonene or vinegar, and a third was solarized without being sprayed as a control. The plastic will be left in place for 5 weeks during the hottest months of the year. The results will determine whether solarization and/or organic herbicides are worth using as a lespedeza control method at ACLT after factoring in cost, labor intensity, risk mitigation, and effectiveness.

Stay tuned … 

Solarization plots
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BeaverCON 2022: A Dam Good Time

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By Clara Brill-Carlat, Assistant Land Manager

 

Earlier this summer, I had the opportunity to attend BeaverCON, a three-day conference all about beavers that was held in Baltimore County. While its name evokes images of Comic-Con, there were no people in beaver costumes running through the hallways at BeaverCON (at least until the last day, when a mascot named Castor made a brief appearance). Instead, there were experts from the East and West Coasts and even from Europe who presented on beaver dam analogs (BDAs), flow devices, beaver relocation, fish passage, and much more. Many of my fellow conference attendees were experts in their own right and had attended BeaverCON in 2020 as well, while I first learned about the conference this fall when I started to research BDAs and their many ecological benefits. Read more from an article I wrote about BDAs for ACLT’s Spring Newsletter here. (See pg. 3)

I quickly made my newcomer status known at BeaverCON when I tried to strike up a conversation with a young graduate student who, like me, had received a scholarship to attend the conference. “What are you studying in grad school?” I asked. She gave me a quizzical, almost pitying look and said, “Beavers.”

During the first two and a half days of the conference, I attended presentations about stream restoration projects, human conflict and coexistence with beavers, mapping beaver habitat, and even the history of beavers in North American literature. One of the most engaging talks was by Emily Fairfax, a researcher at California State University Channel Islands, who studies how beaver complexes protect land during wildfires. She presented striking satellite images of landscapes in the Western U.S. before and after fires; the images showed that areas with active beaver populations burned much less than areas without beavers. Her most recent research has focused on megafires, which are becoming increasingly common due to climate change. Megafires cover much larger areas than typical wildfires (over 100,000 acres), often spread extremely fast, and burn landscapes so severely that ecosystems struggle to recover. While people are often unable to control these fast-spreading megafires, Fairfax found that beavers are still able to significantly reduce the acreage that gets severely burned.

Watch the presentation here: https://youtu.be/wa1B4ijrgcc

Another particularly memorable presentation was by NOAA Fisheries biologist Chris Jordan, who dispelled some common misconceptions about streams. Humans have spent countless time and money transforming streams into conveyance systems that efficiently transport water from one place to the next while rarely overflowing their banks. However, a truly healthy stream is inefficient (to the human eye), meandering, and messy. We might imagine that a stream channel lined with old, tall trees is the epitome of ecological health, but counterintuitively, the presence of such trees can indicate that the stream has been prevented from flooding its banks. When it comes to trying to reverse the damage done to streams, Jordan explained, we are our own worst enemy. He spoke about how regulations designed to protect infrastructure from flooding and to protect streams from environmental degradation have created unintended barriers against nature-based restoration projects. For example, although building BDAs is a relatively low-tech way to reconnect a stream with its floodplain by raising the water level of the stream, regulations meant to prevent flooding make the implementation challenging. Having researched the permitting process for building BDAs at ACLT, this part of Jordan’s presentation certainly rang true. Luckily, as I would soon see, large-scale BDA projects are possible and are becoming more popular here on the East Coast. 

Watch the presentation here: https://youtu.be/6h005lBptLE

A beaver dam analog under construction at the Carroll Branch restoration site in April. The BDA is made of sticks woven between cedar posts, with silt fence material on top (photo courtesy of Ecotone).
Two beaver dam analogs at the Carroll Branch restoration site in July. BDAs can be built close together, like natural beaver dams sometimes are, to increase their resilience during storms (photo courtesy of Ecotone).
Two beaver dam analogs at the Carroll Branch restoration site in July. BDAs can be built close together, like natural beaver dams sometimes are, to increase their resilience during storms (photo courtesy of Ecotone).
A beaver dam analog made with large logs at the Carroll Branch site, shown in July (photo courtesy of Ecotone).

After the official end of BeaverCON, I joined an impromptu tour of a stream restoration site composed of BDAs and log jam structures. Ecotone, an ecological restoration company based in Maryland, had designed the project on the Carroll Branch in Baltimore County. The tour was led by Scott McGill (a co-founder of BeaverCON and the CEO of Ecotone) and was made possible by the persistent begging of some of my fellow conference attendees. 

This was the highlight of BeaverCON for me since we were able to walk right up to each of the structures, which had only been put in place about eight weeks before, and pester McGill with questions. I was struck by how the restoration was both a science and an art. The project had clearly been thoroughly planned, down to each impeccably sharpened cedar post that formed the backbone of the BDAs. At the same time, the materials used (sticks, logs, mud, vines, and netting) and the spacing between the structures varied such that no two dams were exactly the same. Most of the structures were BDAs, meaning that they spanned the entire channel, but a few were constructed log jams that only took up part of the stream. Since all the structures were so new, we could see that they were beginning to slow down the water but had not ponded it yet, and Ecotone was in the process of extending some of them farther onto the banks because the stream was cutting around them. McGill explained that adaptive management is critical for nature-based restoration projects like this one and that Ecotone had a five-year grant to continue managing the restoration.

After the three days of the conference were up, I returned to ACLT with a lot to chew on. Although I felt like a kit (the term for a baby beaver) compared to all the experts, restoration professionals, and beaver-researching grad students in the room, I learned more about beavers in those three days than I have in most of the rest of my life. I know the knowledge and connections I gained at BeaverCON will be helpful as we continue to explore the possibility of beaver dam analogs here at ACLT.

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Little Lending Library Now Open at Double Oak Barn

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ACLT’s New Little Lending Library Now Open at Double Oak Barn

We are pleased to announce that ACLT’s long-time supporter and super talented-carpenter, Tay Vaughan, has built us a new Little Lending Library for the barns at both trailheads. The south side library will be installed soon, but the first one is now installed and fully stocked on the barn porch at Double Oak Farm. The books are primarily intended for children. Please feel free to take a couple and bring back a couple of yours to share. We are looking for books having anything to do with nature, the earth, climate, etc. If the library is full, please do not leave your books – just bring them back at another time. 

The renovations/updates being done on the D.O. porch are part of a group project by graduates of this year’s Master Naturalist class. We think you will enjoy the work they have done! They have added and organized the artifacts found along the trails, added informative posters, and plenty of new chairs to welcome you! There’s more to come, include an exhibit on climate change, so visit often!

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Lasagna Gardening at ACLT

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At Last! Lasagna That's All Natural, Organic, and ... Good for the Environment!

By Judy Ferris, Master Naturalist and Guest Blogger

ACLT’s Flower Girls are always ready to experiment.  Having created their first 86-foot long flower bed in 2017 using the laborious process of double digging, they happily embraced an alternative method to create their  second flower bed; a row which would be devoted to growing cut flowers.   Thus, the first lasagna garden was born at ACLT’s Double Oak farm.

Flowers Planted Using Lasagna Gardening Method at Double Oak Farm

“A lasagna garden?  What’s that?”  Lasagna gardening is an unconventional method for creating an organic garden.  In a nutshell, it consists of layering locally available organic material atop existing soil.  As any chef will recognize, the process is somewhat akin to layering tomatoes, ricotta, pasta, and other goodies in a baking dish to create a sumptuous lasagna.  Leaves collected in fall are the backbone of Double Oak’s lasagna garden.  The layers also include composted horse manure, sawdust, shredded paper, Leaf-gro, weed-free and disease-free greenery, and grass clippings.  Season with a sprinkling of minerals to adjust the soil Ph and nutrition.

Example: Lasagna Layering

The illustration on the right is an example of materials that can be used as layers in your lasagna. But don’t worry if you don’t have all the materials readily available – stick to a 4:1 ratio of materials high in carbon and nitrogen.  Aim for a total thickness of at least 18″ deep.  Adjust Ph and soil nutrition as needed and your lasagna should be a hit!”

Materials High In Carbon: Leaves, Compost, Animal Manure, Hay or Straw, Sawdust, Peat Moss, Shredded Paper, and Wood Ash.

Materials High in Nitrogen: Grass Clippings, Weed- & Disease-free Clippings

The product of lasagna layering - rich, dark soil

After ‘baking’ for a few months, the chunky lasagna layers break down into dark, rich soil which resembles succulent crumbled brownies.  A gardener’s dream!  As a bonus, not only does the lasagna method create nutrient-rich soil, it also benefits our climate in a variety of ways. 

  • Locally available materials are used, thereby minimizing the use of plastic soil bags and the need for diesel-powered shipping.
  • The lasagna method does not disturb the underlying soil community;  an interwoven complex of fungi, worms, insects, plant roots, and soil particles which is essential to keeping plants healthy.
  • Carbon dioxide is a heat-trapping gas in our atmosphere.  By returning leaves and other organic material to the soil, we are sequestering or ‘storing’ carbon in the soil.  Instead of throwing organic material away to release its carbon to become carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the lasagna method actually composts organic material.  Compost captures carbon to enrich the soil and grow healthier plants.   
  • Last, but far from least, your body will thank you for not doing all that double-digging!
A harvest of cut flowers from Double Oak Farm

Double Oak Farm’s lasagna-method Cutting Garden has been a big success.  Its rich soil produces plants that pump out gorgeous blooms month after month.  The same strategy can be applied to vegetable gardens, berry patches, and herb gardens as well.  Who could ask for more?  If you are interested in cooking up a garden using this novel gardening technique, the Flower Girls recommend that you stop by the farm to talk to them.  Or, better yet, consult Patricia Lanza’s quintessential  book on the subject: “Lasagna Gardening: A New Layering System for Bountiful Gardens: No Digging, No Tilling, No Kidding!” Published by Rodale Press, 1998. 

Lasagna Gardening: A New Layering System for Bountiful Gardens by Patricia Lanza

Interested in volunteering at Double Oak Farm? Or any of the other volunteer opportunities at ACLT? Visit: www.acltweb.org/index.php/volunteer to learn more and to sign up!

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Rural Lands Forum Wrap-Up

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By Mary Hoover, Chesapeake Conservation Corp Intern ’21-’22

Rural Lands Forum Educates Citizens and Candidates on Land Preservation

The Sustainable Calvert Network convened a rural lands forum on Thursday, April 21. Held at the aptly bucolic Jefferson Patterson Park, the forum advocated for the importance of preserving Calvert’s rural lands in light of upcoming local elections. The event was attended by Calvert residents and several candidates for Calvert’s Board of County Commissioners, offering a candid setting for citizens to engage in conversation with their future representatives.

Joyce Baki, Calvert Nature Society Speaks at Rural Lands Forum

Those who spoke at the forum were members of the Sustainable Calvert Network, each representing different roles in the community and providing unique perspectives toward a common vision for Calvert County. Following an introduction by Greg Bowen, Executive Director of the American Chestnut Land Trust (ACLT), President of the Calvert Farm Bureau, Cathy Cosgrove, gave a farm owner’s perspective on the importance of agriculture in Calvert. Cosgrove remarked upon the decline in family farm profitability over time, emphasizing the need to revitalize Calvert’s agriculture going forward. To ensure farms are profitable, sustainable, and affordable for subsequent generations, Cosgrove offered solutions such as buying local, joining the Farm Bureau to endorse beneficial agricultural legislation, and supporting a variety of land preservation programs.

Many of the night’s speakers shared their personal experiences and connections with Calvert’s natural landscapes, reiterating the importance of land preservation in such an ecologically rich county. President of the Calvert Nature Society, Joyce Baki, championed the power of land preservation to give “our children and our grandchildren the opportunity in the future to walk into a forest, or to the bay, or to wherever, and enjoy themselves.” Chris Banks, former President of the Calvert Historical Society, similarly shared her connection to Calvert’s rural lands through the story of her great grandmother Christiana Parran, a passionate landowner in the county’s history. Ben Hance, President of the Southern Maryland Sierra Club, nostalgically relayed several anecdotes about the prior state of the county’s natural lands, as told by family members who lived through Calvert’s building boom and saw first-hand the drastic changes to its natural landscapes. Each of these speakers upheld the importance of Calvert’s natural landscapes to their pasts as well as their futures, expressing strong sentiments towards seeing Calvert’s critical lands undeveloped well into the future. 

Scott Knoche, director of Morgan State University’s Patuxent Environmental and Aquatic Research Laboratory

Scott Knoche, director of Morgan State University’s Patuxent Environmental and Aquatic Research Laboratory and economist by training, provided an economic perspective of Calvert’s natural landscapes by ascribing numerical values to several of the county’s ecosystem services.

For instance, Knoche said the local favorite blue crab rakes in “over $50 million in economic impacts.” Because of preserved land and healthy waterways, Calvert continues to offer invaluable ecosystem services to the region. However, potential development remains a threat to these services, and the forum’s speakers all verbalized the critical role of land preservation to counteract this threat. 

Following a lineup of speakers who articulated the necessity of land preservation, Greg Bowen concluded with a presentation on how this land preservation happens. According to Bowen, many landowners sell their land for “highest and best use” to developers, assuming development generates the most profit. Bowen disagrees. In fact, this presumption has been disproven on several occasions in Calvert wherein the highest bidders were land trusts. These land trusts have been able to make back all of their money, taking on the role of “critical lands buyers”, by subsequently selling both the property and its development rights. Ultimately, Bowen hopes to shatter the notion that selling to developers is the most economical option for landowners. Land preservation is not only a lucrative alternative course of action for landowners, but it is also highly beneficial to the quality and sustainability of the environment as well as the innumerable services we gain from it.

The night closed with short introductions by each of the candidates present, including Mike Hart, Steve Jones, Catherine Grasso, Chelsea Monague, Myra Gowans, Todd Ireland, Tricia Powell, Buddy Hance, Christopher Gadway, and Evan Turzanski. Attendees were given the opportunity to speak with the candidates and further discuss their hopes for the future of Calvert in preparation for the primary elections on July 19, 2022. 

Sustainable Calvert Network Member Organizations

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