Based on comparable surveys by FWC Staff and versus the previous year’s
plantings, the 2015 Project Acorn scrub oak plantings had a significant increase in
plant survival!
To increase plant survival rate for the 2015 restoration plantings, Ridge
Rangers implemented several plant pre-treatments over the 2015 winter,including:
Instead of planting directly from tray cells, most oak sprouts were repotted into one gallon pots several months before planting, enabling larger root balls.
During repotting, all plants received a small amount of slow release fertilizer.
During repotting, all plants received mycorrhizae fungi from the restoration area, which is a symbiotic fungus that aids in nutrient transport to plant roots.
Both years received
approximately the same amount of rain, and based on the survey data it appears that the pre-treatments are
the prime cause of the much-increased survival rate!
11/6/2015: Three of the 2,400 scrub oaks planted by Ridge Rangers in summer 2015 to restore habitat.
Project Acorn is a a multiyear effort by the Ridge Rangers to gather and pot scrub-oak acorns,
maintain the sprouts, and plant the resulting baby oaks in damaged scrub oak
habitat to help endangered species on the Lake Wales Ridge.
All Ridge
Rangers who participated in this year’s Jay Watch Citizen Science project are
encouraged to participate in the Jay Watch Volunteer Celebration! Deltona, FL
We’ll be eliminating
unwanted sand pines to restore the fire ecology of sandhill habitat in the
Newell Tract of the Lake Wales Ridge State Forest. Near Frostproof, FL
We’ll be engaging festival attendees to help pot
acorns at the Ridge Rangers booth (sprouts from the potted acorns will be
planted next summer to restore damaged scrub oak habitat). Highlands
Hammock State Park, Near Sebring, FL
We'll be
finishing off the nursery expansion started earlier this year, including
smoothing out the ground and adding ground cover cloth. We'll also be moving
plants and other
miscellaneous tasks. Best of all, we'll be doing a tour of the summer
oak plantings! Near Lake Placid, FL
No Ridge
Rangers Workdays on the Saturdays before and after Thanksgiving.
Want to participate in the Ridge Rangers program? Apply here, or just look on our calendar, sign up for a workday and come on out! There are no dues and no commitments in the Ridge Ranger program.