This work will restore a diverse ground layer of plants, enhance native wildlife habitat, reduce erosion and allow the soil to absorb more stormwater.ĭuring growing seasons, Forest Preserves staff and contractors Under their direction, contractors are thinning unnaturally dense native trees and removing invasive tree and brush species from approximately 500 acres of woodland. The Forest Preserves Resource Management Department is coordinating and managing this project. Other portions of the site were disturbed by farming and currentlyĬontain a mix of non-native grasses, scattered prairie plants and woodyįortunately, the woodlands still contain pockets of high-quality ground-layer vegetation, an indication that with ecological management the Forest Preserves can restore the Tinley Creek Ravines to a healthy, diverse woodland that supports a robust ecosystem of native plants and animals. An extensive network of unofficial footĪnd bike trails has worsened the erosion. Without a sufficient ground-layer of native plants, topsoil washesĪway as water flows into the ravines. Without enough light, native plants that support insects, birds and other wildlife cannot thrive here. The unnaturally high tree density crowds the natural spread of the oaks’ limbs and limits the amount of light reaching the ground. Today the woodlands retain a canopy of mature oaks, but due to decades of fire suppression the understory beneath these oaks is dense with ironwood, sugar maple and hickory tree saplings. Most of the ravines contain remnant oak-hickory woodlands that appear to have escaped plowing or logging, though nearby farmers may have grazed cattle here before this land became a forest preserve. A network of ravines and intermittent streams feed the creek, creating a unique landscape. Tinley Creek bisects the area, flowing from west to east toward the Cal-Sag Channel.
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