Friends of Oakhurst Forest Preserve

When do you meet?

Oakhurst workdays are scheduled with District for the third Sunday of the month from 9 a.m. to noon, meeting in the parking lot of shelter #1 (the one closest to the woods). However, the steward will often have additional workdays on an ad hoc basis that you are welcome to attend. To be notified about these extra workdays, contact the steward or follow the page.

What should I wear?

Forest Preserves are usually full of plants with thorns, spines and prickles, not to mention a variety of bugs that can bite and sting. We also handle tools with sharp teeth and cutting edges. For this reason, volunteers should dress appropriately for the work, the weather, and the environment. This usually means:

· long pants and long-sleeved shirts

· sturdy boots – don’t wear shoes that you’re afraid to get muddy

· work gloves – choose heavy duty gloves when cutting and handling brush

What do I need to bring?

The steward will usually bring tools, herbicide, refreshments (water, coffee) and miscellaneous supplies, including cups, sunscreen, bug spray, safety glasses, trash-bags, and extra work gloves. You can, of course, come equipped with your own personal supplies. As tools can be limited, you are welcome to use your own pruners, loppers, or hand saws. However, please do not bring any power-tools.

What is an invasive plant?

Plants are considered invasive if they have been introduced into an environment where they did not evolve, and as a result, spread aggressively due to there being no natural enemies to limit their reproduction and growth. In their native country, insects, diseases, and foraging animals that co-evolved with the plant would keep its growth in check.

What invasives are at Oakhurst?

Like many of the preserves in Kane County, Oakhurst is home to a number of invasive species. In wooded areas, the main invaders are common buckthorn, honeysuckle, and multi-flora rose – as well as the biennial garlic mustard.

In the areas around the sled hill, cut-leaved teasel, sweet clover and reed canary grass are abundant. Purple loosestrife, an invasive wetland plant, can be found along the banks of the Lake Patterson, while autumn olive and oriental bittersweet are common in the north-east part of the preserve.

How do you get rid of invasives?

For woody plants, control involves cutting down the shrub, and then treating the stumps with a high concentration of herbicide. Biennial plants – those that only live for two years – can be controlled by preventing seed production: pulling, cutting, and bagging the flowerheads. This must be repeated each year until the seed bank is exhausted. Additionally, any first year rosettes of biennials may be treated chemically.

Why do you use herbicide? Isn’t that bad?

Unfortunately, for many of the shrubs, not treating the stump with herbicide will result in numerous re-sprouts, and this only exasperates the problem. In order to kill the plant completely, we use chemical control in conjunction with mechanical removal. Only trained and licensed volunteers can apply herbicide, and they are careful when and where they use it so as to minimize potential harm to native flora.