Restoring Native Habitat

After an EF1 tornado tore through Urbandale last July, the city was forced to deal with the aftermath. The Parks Department soon discovered the storm had toppled or severely damaged 60 well-established trees in city parks. According to Scott Hock, Assistant Director of Urbandale Parks and Recreation, the city was committed to replacing those trees. "Trees provide oxygen, absorb greenhouse gases, provide animal habitat, and have a positive psychological impact on visitors," says Hock.

Urbandale is not facing this challenge alone. With support from Urbandale Friends of the Park, the city plans to begin replacing those trees this fall, planting two trees for every one fallen. So far, the organization has raised $12,000 to supplement the city's investment in the project.

Uplift Urbandale, a coalition of Urbandale businesses, will provide more help. On October 24, hundreds of its employees will join city staff to work on various community projects, including planting the first 45 trees.

The city is focused not only on immediate recovery but also on the long-term sustainability of its parks. In 2023, Lael Neal, a natural resource specialist from Urbandale, raised concerns with the city about an invasion of non-native plant species in Urbandale parks. According to Neal, “Any landscape in Iowa that isn't receiving active land management is probably suffocated with invasive species."

In response, the city recruited Tom Rosburg, professor of Biology/Ecology at Drake University, to conduct a multi-year study of the health of three Urbandale parks. Rosburg says before the 1800s, bison, elk, and other large mammals managed Iowa's habitat by grazing and spreading seeds of native plants. Native Americans also knew the importance of burning unwanted vegetation, which increased plant diversity, improved wildlife habitat, and returned nutrients to the soil. Rosburg says, "With the onset of colonization, we started to see the spread of non-native species of plants and animals, "

As the Midwest became settled, native habitats began to suffer. When non-native plants pushed out native plants, said Rosburg, biodiversity declined. For instance, in the 1880s, tens of thousands of prairie chickens roamed Iowa grasslands. But by 1930, they were nearly wiped out due to habitat loss and overhunting. Fortunately, conservation groups are slowly bringing the prairie chicken back to Iowa.

Rosburg plans to provide a detailed map of the current trees within the parks, review the prevalence of invasive species, and present to the city a plan to remove the invasive species before replanting native species.. Actions may include controlled burns, physically removing non-native plants, or chemically treating them.

For more information on Iowa's most invasive species, check out https://www.inhf.org/blog/blog/5-of-iowas-most-invasive-species-and-how-to-get-rid-of-them/

If you want to donate to the Urbandale Tree Reforestation Fund, visit https://www.urbandale.org/1267/Help-Reforest-Urbandales-Parks

Wayne Bruns is an Urbandale resident and a volunteer with Sustainable Urbandale. This article was previously published in Urbandale Living: https://www.iowalivingmagazines.com/urbandale-archives