Aitkin SWCD Newsletter

See What Staff are Up to!

Aitkin County

A Conservation Haven.

Nestled between the lakes, rivers, &

wetlands are fields, forests, & farms.

Let's take a look back!

Thank you for joining us for another month, the past two have flown by! We had so much happen here at the SWCD. We tabled the county fair and had a great time talking about shoreline restorations and running the nut jar drawing (there were 641 nuts in that jar if you were curious). We ran a workshop with Aitkin Planning & Zoning to teach realtors about lakeshore zoning and conservation easements. We exhibited the seeding drone at the Northeast Forage and Grassland Council Field Day in Sandstone, MN. The district even started a new podcast, so keep and eye out for it on Facebook and YouTube! Behind the scenes, we've kept up our summertime field activities by picking up lake residents' water samples, visiting lakeshore restoration sites, inspecting the Long Lake pollinator planting (the blazing star was incredible), inventorying more culverts, and writing more stewardship plans for private landowners. We're getting ready for the fall by planning cover crops with landowners. As always, drop us some advice on topics and things you want to know below!

Thanks!

Reach Out

 Aitkin SWCD has a new podcast! Learn about the EQIP program and why it could be right for you on our YouTube page.

 
Podcast Page

Can we prepare for the Emerald Ash Borer?

Imagine what the black ash stands of Aitkin County will be like in five to fifteen years. They might look the same, but beneath the bark there could be hundreds of thousands of emerald ash borer (EAB) larvae chewing through the living tree tissue. Then a few years later, nearly every ash tree in the stand could be dead.

 

This outcome is nearly inevitable. Minnesota will lose almost all of its 1 billion ash trees, potentially changing the North Woods forever. While the situation might sound hopeless, we do have control over our reaction to the coming EAB infestation. Active forest management could salvage the ash swamp ecosystems, guide them towards a form that will be useful to people and wildlife, and keep them as safe as possible from invasive wetland species.

 

Anyone who has spent time in an ash swamp has noticed that the vast majority of trees are the same species: black ash. In scientific terms, the canopy layer is a near-monoculture. And as you might have learned from environmental science class, from planting cover crops, or from co-planting in your garden, monocultures are vulnerable to pests and disease. Diverse systems, however, are more resilient. Organisms partner to benefit each other, there are more predators to catch and eat pests, and there are more species that are ready to fill in the gaps caused by disasters.

 

Black ash swamps threatened by the emerald ash borer are one of the most vulnerable monocultures. Ash trees take up so much water through their roots that the water table could significantly rise after EAB causes a mass die-off. This phenomenon, called “swamping out,” makes it very hard for native trees to regenerate the forest and leaves huge gaps for other species to take over. Given that invasive species are usually the first to arrive to a disturbed ecosystem, the nightmare scenario is for vast areas of once-productive, wildlife-harboring, and income-generating forests to turn into marshes choked with reed canary grass, non-native cattails, and glossy buckthorn. 

 

What can we do about the EAB threat? If monocultures are unstable to disease, the answer might be to introduce diversity. The best current idea is to open up the ash canopy and “underplant” alternate tree species that the EAB won’t kill. Hopefully, these seedlings will take over the forest and smooth the transition from an ash swamp ecosystem. Experiments in northern Minnesota have suggested that swamp white oak (which had over 75% of seedlings survive), white cedar, common hackberry, silver maple, balsam poplar, and disease-resistant elm trees would be the best choices. Even more so if the saplings are planted on raised hummocks (small hills of soil and grass) to keep them dry. The key is that the next generation of trees needs to be planted soon, before the ash are killed.

 

EAB will arrive in Aitkin County and northern Minnesota. The best course of action is to slow down its spread by not moving firewood, to diversify ash swamps by interplanting replacement species, and to carry the lessons we learn about managing forest diversity and pests in the future. Make sure to keep an eye out for the tree sale order form in November if you want seedlings for ash underplanting or other management projects.

 

--Emile Sow

Invasive Weed Spotlight:

Common and Glossy Buckthorn

Common and glossy buckthorn are aggressive forest invaders. They choke out native plants and saplings, prevent healthy forest regeneration, and ultimately hurt wildlife and forest landowners.

 

Click the button below for a printable infographic about common buckthorn

 
Common Buckthorn

Meet the Staff

Hi, my name is Chelsey Koebernick. I grew up in the small town of Menahga, Minnesota. I loved living in a small community and the connections I was able to make while growing up there. I played many sports in high school such as volleyball, basketball, and throwing events for track and field. I participated in Hubbard County 4-H most of my life but my biggest passion was for the outdoors.

Since I was a little girl, I have enjoyed being outside; climbing trees, walking in the woods, fishing, hunting, swimming, collecting wild raspberries, and collecting wood for making bonfires. Throughout high school, I knew an environmental job would be the best career for me. After I graduated high school, I went to Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, MN. I earned two associate degrees, in Forestry Resources and Geospatial mapping. After I received my associate degrees I transferred to the University of Minnesota-Crookston to pursue my bachelor’s degree in Natural Resource Management. Once I graduated with my degree in the spring of 2024, I came to work here for the Aitkin County soil and water conservation district as a watershed management and wetland specialist. So far, I have enjoyed learning more about Aitkin County and the many lakeshore owners in the area. I have had a great time meeting the community at the River and Lakes Fair and the Aitkin County Fair. I am looking forward to all the opportunities I will have to connect with the Aitkin County community.

307 2nd St NW, Aitkin MN
218-927-7284

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