Our Project
Our team collected vegetation data to evaluate effects of fuels management at Suzanne Arlie Park. Our plots were in stands that have had one or more treatments, such as herbicide, mastication, mowing, and prescribed fire, as well as areas that were untreated. During the project, we evaluated regrowth so that we could make recommendations regarding future conservation efforts of the park. The new protocol that we tested will be used to make recommendations on how to improve the clarity and practicality of the monitoring design and effectiveness of fire mitigation.
Study Site
Suzanne Arlie Park is a 515-acre plot of land located in South Eugene that was purchased by the City of Eugene in 2008 and 2011. Almost half of the park was recently logged and/or shrubland. Smaller portions of the park’s area were composed of grassland, oak woodland, mixed woodland, and gravel roads. The park has the potential to be especially useful for habitat conservation, due to the presence of oak woodland, grassland, wetland, and riparian habitats. The park has been managed since 2015 using techniques such as mowing, cutting, grinding, and hauling with the goal of reducing fuel loads. Management goals for the park include significant shrubland and recently logged area leading into oak woodland and grasslands.