Forests
The Sandhill property's dry, sandy hills favor sun-loving aspen, jack pine and scrub oaks. The oldest stands date back to just after the last wildfire of 1930. Large, mature oaks provide tree cavities and downed branches used as shelter by woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches, squirrels, and raccoons. Spring droughts favor acorn production and bumper crops of these high energy foods sustain healthy populations of ruffed grouse, wild turkey and white-tailed deer. The ground beneath these oaks is quite open and grassy. This "park-like" condition doesn’t provide enough good cover for ground-dwelling mammals. These creatures spend little time in old oak forests and favor dense, young forest growth.
At one notable feature of the property - North Bluff - the presence of big-tooth aspen tells biologists that the soils are a little better here than on other parts of Sandhill where the soils are either too sandy or too soggy. Big-tooth aspen is seldom found on neighboring dry, sandy ridges. It can be distinguished from other trees by its smooth, greenish-yellow bark and tall, straight trunk. The aspen stand at North Bluff is growing past maturity and will soon be replaced the by the abundant maple seedlings waiting patiently in the shade created by the aspens for their "moment in the sun". In years of drought, our ground water level drops beneath the reach of tree roots. Searing heat robs branches and leaves of moisture and some of the trees weaken and die above ground level. The roots hang on, however, sheltered deep in the soil. When the rains return the stumps sprout.
Learn more about Sandhill's Natural History:
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