This was a truly tangled mess that Joe set us loose on last Saturday. The honeysuckle was thick as can be, all tied together by a labyrinth of Asian bittersweet vine. Each cut was followed by pulling, snipping, looking for the vine that prevents you from moving the cut piece to the fire. Even the chainsaws and brush-cutter are stymied by bittersweet.
We were blessed to have a strong and energetic group of volunteers on site. Thanks to all for their effort and patience. By morning's end we'd cleared a nice little plot of ground, something to build on when we return in a couple weeks.
We also were joined by FPCC stewardship aides Teri Radke and Emily Russell; Emily will be assisting at sites in the South and Southwest regions, welcome to Palos!
Hidden Pond Woods Sunday October 10
Thankfully we had no vine problems to deal with Sunday. We targeted a row of green ash trees, some of them small, others big enough to tower over our heads, all growing on the Kean Avenue side of the preserve and infiltrating the prairie to the west. With site steward Mary Busch out of town, Kevin Kuhn from FPCC Volunteer Resources came to help.
Hearty thanks to first-time Palos volunteer Joe F., to chainsaw Bob for all his cutting, to Kevin and Neal for both cutting and hauling, to Joe C. and Curtis for keeping the fire fed (and the burn scar small), and to Kathy for her usual stellar job of herbiciding. That isn't easy, demanding a sharp eye and great patience.