By Brian Randall
In our modern agricultural system, it is easy to overlook other aspects of the ecosystem that also contribute to the health of the food we eat. Our current system is focused on short-term profit generation without considering the long-term effects on our ecosystem, which includes the people that make up our communities. This kind of approach is considered foundational in regenerative agriculture, and something that Gwenyn Hill Farm strives to embody.
Southern Wisconsin was shaped over 12,000 years ago by receding glaciers, which formed the beautiful kettle formations Gwenyn Hill calls home. After the glaciers left this region, Native Americans moved into the area and began sculpting the landscape with fire. Fire was used for multiple reasons, primarily because they saw how the plants, trees and animals reacted to it. They found that when done correctly fire promotes growth of native plants which could provide food and attract game species to the area. Some species of trees thrived in these conditions, oaks being one of them.
According to the Public Land Survey of our region, in the 1830’s about 40% of the landscape was covered by woodland, 30% of this being oak savannah. As Euro-American settlers moved into the Midwest region much of the land was logged and turned into crop land. The space that was opened and left unmaintained was filled with aggressive, shade-tolerant tree species such as maple, box elder, walnut, ash, cherry and elm. Combine this with shrub species like buckthorn and honeysuckle, and left unchecked, can wipe out nearly all other plant life in our woodlands.
There is a ripple effect caused by this mismanagement, as the ecosystem undergoes a rapid change. Having adapted to survive in practically any habitat, the invasives will take over the native ecosystem, which many specialist birds, reptiles, amphibians and beetles depend on for survival.
Every acre of our woodland is important to the health of our farm ecosystem.
The winter season is a great time to concentrate on our non-crop like the woods. These areas can be a tremendously diverse habitat for all kinds of insects, plants and animals which help balance our farm ecosystem. To help promote that habitat and foster a healthy, usable area we focus on the understory, primarily controlling the growth of invasive species that will choke out native plants and new seedlings. By opening the understory, we are reducing the amount of competition for beneficial forbs, grasses and sedges that were once so prevalent in southern Wisconsin.
Today only .01% of the original oak savannah remains in Wisconsin. As stewards of this land we feel compelled to maintain our woods in a way that benefits the overall farm ecosystem.