caring for our preserves

Saving land is just the first step. Our 23,000+ acres of land need restoration and ongoing maintenance to ensure that plants, insects, and wildlife thrive there. And we work to balance the needs of nature and our many visitors.

a dark brown and bright yellow turtle crawling on brown leaves

nature is an excellent teacher

Contrary to the old adage, “let nature take its course,” natural areas need help to become—and remain—places where people, plants, and wildlife can thrive. After 60+ years, we’ve learned quite a bit about techniques and timing, skill and science.

growing a forest

Before Europeans arrived, trees covered 90 percent of Pennsylvania. By 1850, millions of acres had been cleared for farming, timber, and firewood. Protecting and caring for the woods we have left is essential to the creatures that depend on them for survival.

The forests on our preserves are uninterrupted by roads, houses, or lawns. This habitat is crucial to wildlife, including several species of migratory songbirds like Scarlet Tanager and Wood Thrush. They need dense woodlands for food and shelter on their long journeys. Humans rely on forests, too. They clean our air and water, reduce flooding, and store carbon.

Natural Lands plants thousands of native trees every year on our preserves. We protect the young trees from hungry deer with tree tubes, which are eventually removed.

a beautiful red and black bird perched on a branch

by the water’s edge

Even small creeks are part of huge, interconnected watersheds that are vital to both nature and people. The Delaware River Watershed alone provides drinking water for nearly 15 million residents.

One of the ways we work to improve water quality of the creeks that meander through our preserves is to take better care of the land near it, known as the riparian buffer. As the term suggests, trees and other plants in this area “buffer” the stream from anything that flows into it, including polluted water, eroding soil, or toxic chemicals. The plants’ roots also stabilize the creek banks, which helps to control erosion.

a sunset in the sky and reflected on the water of a creek that has trees on both sides

controlling invasives

Invasive plant species can out-compete other species and destroy native plant diversity in forests, meadows, and wetlands. Employing an array of techniques to control the spread of invasives on our preserves is one of Natural Lands’ top priorities.

Some plants can be removed manually or mechanically. Others are better managed with targeted herbicide application. Woody invasives like Norway maple and tree of heaven are often killed by girdling—making deep cuts into the bark and cambium layer beneath—and injecting with targeted herbicide. Controlled burning is an effective method in our grasslands.

Our goal is to sustain diverse native plant communities that can resist the disruptive effects of invasive plants.

Two men in the field wearing bright colors, one beneath an overhang of shrubs.

making meadows

Since the early 20th century, changes in farming and increased land development have had a devastating ripple effect on wildlife, including bees, butterflies, and several species of birds that have adapted to once-plentiful agricultural habitats.

Meadows are particularly valuable as nesting areas and food sources for birds such as Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark, and Grasshopper Sparrow. Two-thirds of grassland birds like these have experienced population declines, and one-quarter of them may soon face threatened or endangered status.

Natural Lands is part of The Grassland Bird Collaboration, a partnership program that is working to create conservation areas made up of working landscapes and existing nature preserves across southeastern Pennsylvania. The group is working with farmers and other landowners to adjust mowing practices to help improve the outlook for vulnerable grassland birds.

a black and white bird with an orangish neck perched on some green grasses

beneficial burning

Natural Lands has long used controlled burns to restore and maintain certain habitats on our preserves. The fires are referred to as “prescribed burns” because they act like medicine for areas whose health—including the animals and insects that live in them—is threatened. Burning controls non-native plant species, removes organic matter, and creates soil conditions that favor native plant species. Controlled burning can be especially useful for the restoration and maintenance of native grasslands, a type of habitat that has become increasingly rare in our region as naturally occurring fires have been suppressed and open land is developed.

A person in fire safety gear walks in the foreground with orange flames licking at a meadow behind them.

rain gardens

Every time it rains, water runs off of impermeable surfaces like driveways, roofs, and roads, collecting fertilizer, oil, and other pollutants along the way. That dirty water then enters storm drains and flows into nearby streams. This runoff accounts for 70 percent of all water pollution.

Rain gardens on our properties collect excess stormwater and allow it to soak slowly into the ground. The native plants in the rain garden have deep roots that absorb the pollutants and clean the water naturally. These thirsty plants also provide food and shelter for beneficial insects, songbirds, and other wildlife.

a densely planted area of mostly green low-growing plants, shrubs, and trees

wetlands at work

Did you know that nearly all ponds in southeastern Pennsylvania were created by humans and are not a natural part of the ecology? Though they may be pretty, ponds raise the water temperature of associated streams, interfere with the path of migrating fish, and attract Canada Geese—whose droppings are bad for water quality.

Natural Lands has converted ponds on our preserves to wetlands. We first remove the dam, allowing the stream to flow freely once again, and then plant the surrounding area with water-loving native trees, shrubs, and perennials. The resulting wetlands are even more biodiverse than rainforests or coral reefs, teeming with fish, amphibians, insects, birds, and mammals. More than half the plants and animals in Pennsylvania rely on wetlands for food and reproduction.

Wetlands also serve as nature’s living filters. Water moving downstream slows as it passes through wetlands, allowing time for it to be reabsorbed into the ground. Plants growing in the wetlands break down contaminants, filter out sediment, and store excess nutrients such as carbon dioxide.

A large grayish blue bird stands at the edge of a small pond hunting for fish.

managing deer

There are 10 times more white-tailed deer living in our region than the land can support. This unsustainable level means the forests as we know them will disappear as hungry deer eat all the native species, leaving only non-native plants to take over. As the forest structure changes, birds and other wildlife lose nesting space, food, and cover. Eventually, even the deer causing this destruction will not survive.

Natural Lands’ controlled hunting program is one way we work to manage our deer population.

a female white-tailed deer with ears perked up, waiting and watching in a patch of tall green grass

less lawn

Lawns are ecological wastelands, offering little benefit to insects and wildlife. The shallow roots of turf grass and compacted soils limit water absorption when it rains, which means lawns contribute to stormwater runoff.

At our preserves, we work to replace turf with a diverse mix of native grasses and wildflowers to create meadows, or plant tree seedlings to expand the forest cover. The plants provide food and shelter for myriad creatures, and their deep roots help water infiltrate the soil.

What’s more, meadows require only annual mowing and woodlands, once established, require little ongoing maintenance. This saves time, money, and fuel.