Land Management
Pollinator Meadows
The City has restored several small areas to pollinator meadows including along the Marten Trail, in Piedmont Park and in Hartley Park. Urban development and pesticide use are causing great stress to pollinator species, so anything we can do to provide habitat in open areas for them will support our larger ecosystem. Once a pollinator garden is planted, continued stewardship including spot spraying or hand pulling weeds/non-natives is necessary for the first few years. The City's Natural Resources Management Program hires contractors to perform this work as funding allows.
After three years of intentional management knocking down weeds to provide space for the natives to grow, the gardens will become somewhat self-sustaining. A common turn of phrase for planting perennial native species is:
- Year 1 - they sleep, focusing energy on its root system;
- Year 2 - they creep, continuing to develop a strong root system, and blooming, but at a fraction of their mature size;
- Year 3 - they leap, growing to its full size, with robust blooms.
Another way to manage native plants is to use prescribed fire. Information on this project can be found in the following section.
Controlled Burns
Pending improved moisture conditions, the City will be conducting two small, controlled burns in the spring of 2024, in order to improve a couple of our many city-managed pollinator gardens. The gardens that we hope to burn this spring are the Sister Cities Park gardens and a small garden in the Wheeler Field Complex. With such a snow-less winter, the threat of wildfire is higher than it has been in decades, so it is only with an abundance of caution that we would proceed with controlled burns this year. The Duluth Fire Marshall works closely with City staff from several departments to ensure that controlled burns are done in only the safest of conditions.
In 2023, the City launched its Prescribed Fire Pilot Program, wherein a licensed contractor, in collaboration with many City staff, used controlled burns on three pollinator meadows - two in Hartley Park and one at the western end of Waabizheshikana: The Marten Trail near Spring Street. Native plants responded well to the burning, and invasives were knocked back in these meadows, allowing for improved habitat for pollinators.
Controlled burning, also known as prescribed burns or prescribed fire, is a land management strategy that uses the application of fire to support healthy ecosystems. Controlled burns provide significant benefits to the landscape and have been used as an intentional land management technique for thousands of years. In this case, the goal of the burn is to reduce undesirable and invasive plants in these meadows, such as purple loosestrife and buckthorn, and encourage the re-growth and vitality of native perennials and grasses, such as little bluestem and black-eyed susan.
The exact timing of burns are unknown until the morning of, as conditions must be ideal and will depend on the temperature, wind speed, and other criteria set forth in a burn plan prepared by the contractor and approved by the Duluth Fire Marshal. Prior to the burn, many steps are initiated including alerting neighboring properties preparing a press release and social media info to post day-of should the burn proceed.
2024 Controlled Burns: Due to the very dry spring we had this year, we only conducted one small controlled burn at a pollinator garden at the Wade/Wheeler Athletic Complex.
This fall, as part of a developing program between the Duluth Fire Department, Parks Maintenance, and Natural Resources, DFD firefighters may conduct a controlled burn near the Arlington Soccer complex. Though funding and program development are still in the works, this inter-departmental collaboration aims to use controlled burns to manage our natural areas while training City firefighters in wildland firefighting techniques. Many wooded areas in our City, especially in eastern Duluth, have a high fuel load present (dead, downed trees) due to storm events over the past several years. Additionally, throughout the City, controlled burns could help eliminate invasives in the forest understory, providing space for native trees to grow.
Strategic Public Lands Re-alignment Project
In 2023, the City will acquire over 2,000 acres (approx. 700 parcels) that were once tax-forfeit lands managed by the County. This multi-year project is funded in part by a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant fund from the EPA. Many of these newly-acquired parcels are already being used for public enjoyment and recreation, such as many tracts in the Lester Park and Piedmont areas. However, as tax forfeit property, these parcels could have been sold at any time. Under City ownership, this acreage will be preserved for recreation, as parks or enlarged parks, and as designated Natural Areas. Many City and County staff have been involved in this project including City Planning, Stormwater, Properties, and Parks & Recreation staff. St. Louis County has also been a dedicated partner in the process.
For more information, visit Chapter 2 of the Natural Resources Management Program Plan.
Invasive Species Management
The City is on a seemingly never-ending battle with invasive species, and depending on funding and capacity, we do our best to tackle the myriad invasives that threaten our natural areas. Buckthorn, Honeysuckle, Knotweed, Garlic Mustard and Wild Parsnip are the species of most concern to the City and the following activities are underway to try to address them:
- Sustain Our Great Lakes Grant 2023-2025: This grant focuses on controlling invasive species, specifically buckthorn, in the Hartley Natural Area and Lower Kingsbury restoration area. The Stream Corps Crew from Community Action Duluth is completing this work for the City.
- Duluth Invaders Team: The Duluth Invaders is a group of volunteers who take it upon themselves to help fight invasives in our natural areas and parks. Currently, the City is only able to support these great volunteers at a low level, for example, picking up cut invasives and lending out tools. Hopefully in the future, we will be able to provide more support. The 2024 annual meeting for the Invaders was held at Hartley Nature Center on August 20. New members are welcome, though a waiver form must be completed. This form can be found here: https://forms.duluthmn.gov/Forms/Parks-Voluntary-Waiver
- Contracted invasives control work: The funding and focus for this work varies by year. In 2024, the City re-purposed some GLRI grant funding to treat invasives in our designated natural areas. Other locations where we paid for invasives control work: 1) along lower Mission Creek (tansy), 2) Park Point Dunes (baby's breath), and a west Duluth snowmobile trail where wild parsnip has greatly expanded.
Forestry Restoration Projects
- Under-Ash Planting in St. Louis River Coastal Wetlands, Minnesota Land Trust, Partner
The Minnesota Land Trust is restoring forested areas along the St. Louis River Estuary. Follow the link below to read more about this continuing effort.
https://mnland.org/2022/09/30/restoring-coastal-wetlands-for-migrating-birds/
- Knowlton Creek Northern White Cedar/Eastern White Pine Forest Management Project, Izaak Walton League, Partner
In 2022, the local chapter of the Izaak Walton League adopted a forest restoration site along Knowlton Creek to protect water quality and a unique white pine-white cedar forest community. The chapter protects seedlings with fencing or other methods, keep out invasive species and generally tends to the area whenever their members have time.
