Sometime in the early 1970s rows of European larch—a tree not naturally growing in the region—were planted on the southeast meadows of Prudence Island. You can see the rows of larch in the aerial photo from 1997.
Over decades, the European larch have been aggressive, outcompeting all other species and creating a monoculture that supports little diversity of wildlife. In 2011 the Reserve began to remove the larch, restoring greater diversity of habitats that is dominated by native grasses and shrubs.
The initial effort to remove 25 acres of European larch included contracting with loggers, creating slash piles, and treating the area with prescribed burns.
We continue to remove larch by hand and maintain the native grasses and shrubs with routine cutting. In the coming years we hope to contract for the removal of other large, mature European larch in order to complete the restoration.
