An exciting new program is underway in McHenry County. We hope that it can spread through county and state lines. Project Quercus, was started in 2006 and its mission is to explore options to protect, preserve and regenerate the oak woods.
Oak woods and Oak trees have been in steady decline for some time now. Due to the lack of fire in our woodlands, the over shading of woodlands, invasive species and a tendancy to not plant Oaks in landscaping, we have now become aware of the huge loss and lack of re-production that is occurring. Our oak-hickory woodlands have diminished by more than 88.5% since the time of European-American settlement (c. 1837). Oak woods once covered nearly 40% of the landscape, but today are found on barely 4% of the landscape.
With their strong wood, sprawling branches, gnarly trunks and majestic heights. The Oak has long served as a symbol of Americana and the Midwest. But with little or no reproduction occurring it could be a piece for the history books, like an an old car relic rotting away in the countryside. “If nothing is done, the oak in McHenry County could disappear as aself-sustaining ecosystem during the next 20 years,” said Ed Collins, the McHenry County Conservation District’s natural resource manager. “Oaks give us a sense of place, of who we are. We are not the desert Southwest or the pine forests of the north,” Collins said. “We’re the upper Midwest marked by beautiful prairies and oak groves.”
A wide variety of plants, animals, insects and organisms depend on the oak ecosystem for survival. “Even more than their historical significance, that is the main reason the trees are so important,” said Lisa Haderlein, a member of the Land Conservancy of McHenry County. “They are much more valuable for wildlife for habitat and food because they have a nut,” she said. “If something doesn’t change in the next few years, we’ll start to see them fall and we won’t be able to replace them.”
Lets all try to do our part to promote the growth of the king tree of the Midwest. “Releasing” Oak trees is some of the most important and rewarding work that Prairie Works does.
