LaPlatte Headwaters Town Forest 2020 Monitoring Report

In 2019, experimental plots were established in the northernmost field of the LaPlatte Headwaters Town Forest in Hinesburg, VT to compare the effectiveness of different site preparation techniques at (a) reducing the coverage of reed canary grass, (b) exposing enough bare soil at the right time to allow for the successful establishment of native woody species from seed, and (c) increasing plant diversity to improve habitat and ultimately accelerate natural succession in the floodplain. This report includes a description of our methods and initial results from our monitoring in June and August of 2020. Due to poor establishment from direct seeding in 2020, we replicated some of our site preparation activities ahead of additional direct seeding now planned for spring 2021. We also expanded our study area to include a zone that was direct seeded in the fall of 2020. These results will be shared in a future report.