Invasive Removal & Habitat Restoration Project Day!

On November 2, for the 25th year, volunteers came together to help Forest Park Forever restore and maintain the Park's natural areas.

WHO: More than 110 volunteers, the Kennedy Woods Advisory Group (KWAG) and our conservancy focused on restoring 6.5 acres in John F. Kennedy Memorial Forest. We filled 4.5 dump trucks with wintercreeper and other vines during another successful Invasive Species Removal & Habitat Restoration project day.

WHAT: Forest Park experts consider wintercreeper one of the sneakiest, most abundant, and negatively impactful invasive species in the Forest Park Nature Reserve today. It flowers and fruits in the air by climbing an object like a tree or honeysuckle bush. The plant's thick, waxy outer coating and knack for creeping under existing vegetation make it difficult to manage. During the project day last year, participants removed honeysuckle and other invasive woodies on this same site in Kennedy Forest. Our goal for 2024 was to cut vine-free rings around healthy trees to create an herbicide-free buffer and prevent wintercreeper from reproducing for a few years.

WHY: Invasive species are non-native and aggressive plants that out-compete native Missouri flora by growing at different times of the year, reproducing abundantly, blocking sunlight or altering soil chemistry. The ecosystem can degrade when organisms thrive in areas where they don't naturally live—making the system more vulnerable to disease and stress. Read about why removing certain species of plants is so important to maintaining the health of forests in the Park.

HOW: This progressive restoration work, including the supplies needed to staff and operate volunteer events, is only possible thanks to our Forest Park Forever supporters. To keep our work going, consider becoming a member or renewing your membership today.