Reforestation in the Fall - Tree Planting Projects

By Christine Bohn, Restoration Manager

Reforestation at Kurtz Woods State Natural Area

Our stewardship team kicked off the month of October with a three-day tree planting marathon at our Kurtz Woods Preserve in the Town of Grafton. The planting is part of a project supported financially by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) as part of Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewage District’s (MMSD) Reforestation and Wetland Restoration Program. The program aims to plant six million trees and restore 4,000 acres of wetlands over ten years. To achieve these goals, Restoring Lands is one of many collaborators working with MMSD on reforestation and wetland restoration projects across the region.

This project is helping the Land Trust expand on stewardship efforts underway since 2005 when TNC donated the property to the Land Trust. Invasive buckthorn has been removed across a five-acre project area and 100 potted-stock trees and shrubs have been planted in a two-acre field adjacent to the existing 45-acre mature woodland. An additional 2,000 trees will be planted in the field next spring. We are grateful for the hard work of our land stewardship team and all the volunteers who supported the project. Without the extra hands the planting, mulching, watering, and caging of these trees would not have been possible.

Keep an eye on events for next spring. Were adding a few zeros to our next tree planting project with MMSD and anticipate planting over 20,000 trees at Huiras Lake Preserve in the Town of Fredonia in 2026.

Restoring Coastal Forest Habitat at Forest Beach Migratory Preserve

Restoring Lands staff wrapped-up a habitat restoration project at Forest Beach Migratory Preserve this Fall. Once a golf course slated for development, FBMP was instead protected and is in the process of being restored to be a hub for migratory birds along the Lake Michigan coast. This project focused on reestablishing a forested corridor from the shoreline to the interior of the preserve. The stew team and volunteers planted just shy of 50 trees and shrubs this Fall, in addition to maintaining the hundreds of trees and shrubs planted over the 3-year course of the project.

This project was made possible with funding from the US Forest Service.

Volunteers & Staff at Forest Beach Migratory Preserve