Results from 2011 Vegetation Monitoring in Prairie and Old Field Habitats following Shrub Removal at the North Chicago Wetland Mitigation Site, Lake County, Illinois

A vegetation monitoring program was established in 2009 at the North Chicago Wetland Mitigation Site in Lake County, Illinois. The principal goals of the monitoring are to assess habitat quality in terrestrial plant communities throughout the site and to document and interpret vegetation changes resulting from habitat management. Prior to 2011 monitoring, habitat management has included removal of invasive shrubs and trees, localized seeding of native prairie and wetland species, mowing, and limited applications of fire to a marsh. Future management includes proposed applications of prescribed fire in terrestrial communities and control of invasive species in terrestrial and wetland habitats. Objectives for 2011 monitoring were to collect and analyze data on species composition, diversity, and structure from permanent vegetation sample plots and to compare results among vegetation types to the 2009 baseline samples and 2010 monitoring results. Removal of invasive shrubs, saplings, and small trees was completed throughout the approximately 160-acre site prior to the 2011 field survey. Because shrub removal had not been completed by the end of the sampling period in 2010, the 2011 samples represent the first complete analysis following this treatment.