Descrption
of Natrual Areas
The areas under
the jurisdiction of the Committee on Natural Areas include
Brownfield Woods, CCDC/Collins Woods, Funk Forest, Hart
Woods, Nanney Research Area, Phillips Tract, Richter Research
Area, Rutan Research Area, Trelease Woods, and Trelease
Prairie. The Vermilion River Observatory site, owned by
the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, is an
affiliate site under CNA management and became actively
managed for biological research in 1996. Together, the sites
comprise about 965 acres. Allerton Park invites research
but is not managed by the CNA. All areas are available for
nondestructive and limited manipulation studies and for
class use by University of Illinois faculty, staff, and
students. Only Phillips Tract is available for extensive
on-site manipulation. The areas are also open to researchers
at other Universities and the Illinois Department of Natural
Resources. The areas are closed to the general public and
to non-research related activities. For safety and preservation
purposes, a permit from the Committee on Natural Areas office
is required before research is initiated. For further site-specific
information, maps, or tours of the areas, contact Steve
Buck.
Brownfield
Woods - A 26.1 ha (64.6 acres) "virgin" deciduous
upland forest. Primarily a mature oak/ash/maple forest with
a high, closed canopy and fairly open understory. Sugar
maple has rapidly become the dominant tree species. The
woods is a remnant of a much larger prairie grove which
was present at settlement times. A small creek, fed by runoff
and field tiles, runs diagonally through the woods. A system
of marked grid posts, at 50 meter intervals, is in place.
Located about 6 miles NE of the UIUC campus. Fenced. Vehicle
access around the perimeter. Agricultural land abuts the
west side and across the road on part of the east side.
Houses abut the north boundary and part of the east side.
Woods and houses are across the road on the south side and
part of the east side. Acquired in 1939.
CCDC
Collins Woods - A 5.7 ha (14 acres) second growth deciduous
forest. The eastern half is a mix of older "wolf"
trees and successional growth. The western half is a more
mature oak woods with damp, old river oxbow bottom lands.
A system of marked grid posts, at 50 meter intervals, is
in place. The site is located about 12 miles NE of the UIUC
campus (2 miles north of St. Joseph, IL). The area is not
fenced except for a remnant fence line on the west side.
Access is walk-in only. A housing development abuts the
west side and agricultural land abuts the other sides. Acquired
as a gift in 1991.
Funk
Forest - A 25.1 ha (62 acres) mesic and upland "virgin"
deciduous forest. Primarily a mature oak/hickory/maple forest
with a high closed canopy and relatively open understory.
Sugar maple is rapidly becoming the dominant tree species.
This is a very high quality prairie grove remnant forest.
Timber Creek, a clear, permanent stream (25 ft. ave. bank
width) cuts across the south quarter of the woods and creates
a steep north facing embankment. A system of marked grid
posts, at 50 meter intervals, is in place. Located about
55 miles from the UIUC campus (10 miles SW of Bloomington,
IL). Access is walk in only with limited vehicle access
to the south edge of the woods. The south boundary fence
is in good repair but only remnant fencing is around the
other boundaries. Pasture abuts the south boundary and pastured
and cut-over woods abut the other sides. The Illinois DNR
owns the property to the east and the Funk Foundation owns
the woods on the north and west sides. Acquired in part
by gift in 1950.
Nettie
Hart Memorial Woods - A 16.2 ha (40 acres), approximately
150 year old second growth upland and mesic woods. Primarily
oak/hickory on the well-drained uplands and slopes and silver
maple on the bottom land. A closed canopy with a moderately
dense understory. The Sangamon River runs along the western
edge of the property and a permanent creek (12 ft. ave.
bank width) cuts along the south edge. A system of marked
grid posts, at 50 meter intervals, is in place. Located
about 15 miles NW of the UIUC campus. Fenced on the east
and north boundaries. Walk-in access only. Woods abut the
property on the north and south sides. A housing development
is encroaching toward the woods west of the river and across
the road on the east side is agricultural land and an open
woods farmstead. Acquired in 1965.
Nanney
Research Area - A 16.6 ha (41 acres) strip of land along
the Embarras River in southern Champaign County. The site
is about 1100 meters north/south and averages about 200
meters east/west. The Embarras River forms the east and
north boundary. This stretch of the river has not been channelized
or diked and retains a meandering nature. About 60% of the
site is good quality river and stream floodplain/seasonal
wetlands. The higher ground is successional woodland. A
system of marked grid posts, at 50 meter intervals, is in
place. The site was grazed by cattle and used by a local
horse riding club prior to 1970. Located about 18 miles
south of the UIUC campus. Vehicle access is limited to the
southwest corner of the property. Agricultural land abuts
the site on the south and west sides while floodplain and
sloped woodlands are east and north of the river. Acquired
as a gift in 2000.
Phillips
Tract - A 52.6 ha (130 acres) former farm. This area
can be used for larger manipulative studies. The area contains
alfalfa, bluegrass, recreated prairie, oldfield, and agricultural
fields, a 30 year old successional area and rotating 1 to
5 year old successional strips, and oldfield/successional
woods. Two outbuildings with electricity provide limited
field lab space and water is available. The Saline Branch
of the Salt Fork River runs through the property. Located
about 6 miles NE of the UIUC campus across the road from
Trelease Woods. The property is fenced. Vehicle access to
nearly all areas. Agricultural land abuts to three sides
with Trelease Woods and Prairie across the road to the east.
Acquired in 1968.
Edgar
and Sophia Richter Research Area - A 9.1 ha (22.5 acres)
farmstead and woodland area along the Salt Fork River. The
uplands and some of the bottom land were originally farmland
but are now in oldfield/successional growth. The steep west
facing hillside down to the river is wooded. Due to the
long triangular shape of the parcel, there is nearly a half
mile of river frontage. There is an old farmhouse and several
outbuildings on the site. A system of marked grid posts,
at 50 meter intervals, is in place. Located about 25 miles
east of the UIUC campus. Only partial fencing remains on
the east and north side of the property. Vehicle access
to the property. Agricultural land abuts to about half of
the eastern boundary and across the river on the west side.
Woods abut to the rest of the property. Acquired as a gift
in 1989.
Rutan
Research Area - A 10.4 ha (25.6 acres) open upland woodlot.
Mature, open oak/hickory/maple woods on the flat ground
has been maintained by grazing for most of the century.
The steep south facing slope is denser, young, successional
growth. A ravine runs along the eastern edge of the woods
and contains a filled in, 8 ft. high erosion control dam.
There is an artesian spring on the wooded slope in the southwestern
corner of the property. A system of marked grid posts, at
50 meter intervals, is in place. Located about 21 miles
east of the UIUC campus. Only fenced on the west side. Vehicle
access to the parking lot on the edge of the property. Agricultural
land abuts on three sides and a narrow woods that runs down
to the Salt Fork River is on the west side. Acquired as
a gift in 1993.
Trelease
Woods (and buffers) - A 28.8 ha (60.5 acre woods + 10.7
acre buffer) "virgin" deciduous upland forest.
Primarily a mature oak/ash/maple forest with a high, closed
canopy and moderately dense understory. Sugar maple has
rapidly become the dominant tree species. The woods is a
remnant of a much larger prairie grove which was present
at settlement times and was originally connected with Brownfield
Woods. The woods is not well-drained and more prone to canopy
tree windfall openings than Brownfield Woods. There are
two, small, man-made seasonal ponds located in the woods
and on the south edge of the woods. Buffer land on the north
and northeast sides of the woods are 50 m in depth and were
seeded to alfalfa and mixed prairie species in 2002 (4.3
ha/10.7 acres). Trelease Prairie runs up to the south edge
of the woods. A system of marked grid posts, at 50 meter
intervals, is in place. Located about 6 miles NE of the
UIUC campus. Fenced. Vehicle access around the perimeter
of the woods. Agricultural land abuts on three sides of
the woods with Phillips Tract across the road on the west
side. Acquired in 1918.
Trelease
Prairie - A 8.1 ha (19.9 acres) recreated tallgrass
prairie. Restoration began in the 1940's and is currently
maintained by periodic burning. The prairie was divided
into quadrants in 1996 with two quadrants being burned under
a fall burning regime and two quadrants under a spring burning
regime. Vehicle access around the perimeter. Fenced. Agricultural
land abuts the south and east sides with Trelease Woods
on the north and Phillips Tract across the road to the west.
Acquired in 1942.
Vermillion
River Observatory - A 191.8 ha (474 acres) mostly wooded
farm. The area is owned by the U of I Electrical and Computer
Engineering Department. There are about 110 acres in agricultural
and mowed ground, 90 acres in various successional stages,
and about 275 acres in more mature, second growth forest.
Much of the area had a grazing background and the wooded
areas were timber harvested 60 - 80 years ago. The forest
is an eastern deciduous mix and much more species rich than
that of our other "prairie grove" type woodlands.
Two deep ravine systems dissect the land with a maximum
topographical change of about 150 ft. There are at least
a half dozen seeps in the ravines and there are several
steep north facing and south facing slopes. This area is
in the Vermillion River drainage system and has a number
of plant, insect, and vertebrate species not found at our
other sites. There are two earthen flood control dams in
one ravine. A complete plant species census was conducted
for the site in 1996-'97. An office building has been refurbished
and is available for use as a wet lab, seasonal researcher
housing, and classroom use. A shop building could also be
cleaned up for storage and shop use. Located about 40 miles
east of the UIUC campus (4 miles SE of Danville). Partial
fencing and remnant fencing. Vehicle access. Agricultural
ground across a road on the east with woods and scattered
housing around the other sides. The ECE dept. began acquiring
the property in 1959. This area was newly opened to Committee
on Natural Areas supervision as of 1996. Contact the CNA
technologist for further information on usage guidelines
and maps.
Additional Research
Areas
Allerton Park - The main park
consists of approximately 1,500 acres, including about 600
acres of floodplain forest, about 400 acres in upland forest,
and 30 acres in recreated prairie. The Sangamon River flows
through the Park. Located about 25 miles southwest of the
UIUC campus. For information on research opportunities contact:
Kim Petzing at 244-1035.
