Desert Natural Area - Restoring Biological Diversity

The management plan will prioritize management actions to maintain the pitch pine-scrub oak communities and associated habitat features known to support targeted species.
“Whip-poor-will...whip-poor-will...whip-poor-will...”  The call of the whip-poor-will is one of the magical sounds that you can hear on an evening walk in June through the Desert Natural Area. On an early morning foray, you may hear the ethereal flute of the wood thrush and the cu-cu-cooing of the black-billed cuckoo. Other biological treasures include high quality vernal pools with blue-spotted salamanders and wood frogs, pure streams that support native brook trout, and secretive wood and box turtles.
The 900-acre Desert Natural Area straddles the City of Marlborough and the Town of Sudbury. SVT’s 250-acre General Federation of Women’s Clubs of Massachusetts Memorial Forest is at the heart of this area. 
The Women’s Federation donated the property to SVT in 1999. White pine-oak forests, pitch pine- scrub oak barrens, red maple swamps and open marshes create a rich mosaic of habitats. The site is historically known as “the Desert” due to the predominance of well-drained sandy soils.
 
 
In spite of this natural area’s rich biodiversity, its value has diminished over the last 50-100 years. The pitch pine-scrub oak barrens require fire to flourish. Across the New England region, this natural community type is languishing due to fire suppression or being lost to development. We are losing the many plants, insects and other fauna associated with this habitat type, such as wild lupine, the frosted elfin (a butterfly) and the slender clearwing (a moth). 

SVT is leading a new initiative to restore the biological significance of this natural area. Our partners include the Massachusetts Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP) and abutting conservation land managers: US Fish & Wildlife Service Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge, Town of Sudbury, City of Marlborough and the Massachusetts DCR. These partners have signed on with SVT to conduct essential inventories, develop a comprehensive management plan, and implement the necessary management.

Tim Simmons, Restoration Ecologist with the NHESP, will be lending his expertise in restoration of fire-dependent natural communities to our efforts, noting, “Eastern pine-oak barrens are among the most imperiled ecosystems in North America. Successful conservation of these systems demands active habitat management.  Managing at an appropriate scale often requires interagency partnerships such as this one.”  Tim further remarks, “We have yet to discover the full biological potential of this natural area.” Tim will be conducting surveys for rare plants and insects this spring and summer.

In the stewardship of our properties, SVT’s goal is to maximize each site’s biological and ecological values. In some cases, that simply means letting nature take her course. In other cases, this requires active habitat restoration and management. Proactive management is essential where habitats are being lost or degraded. We have adopted this management strategy previously at Cedar Hill in Northborough where we have been restoring shrubland habitat. That particular project focuses on birds that require shrublands for nesting such as blue-winged warblers, Eastern Towhee and brown thrasher. The spectacular indigo bunting made an appearance at the site last year. We are now embarking on a new venture to restore the dynamic pitch pine-scrub oak barrens of the Desert Natural Area.

In any restoration project the first step is assessing current conditions and conducting biological surveys. This year we will be updating the plant community map, conducting breeding bird surveys and mapping invasive plants. NHESP will be conducting some initial surveys for rare insects. Wildlife and plant surveys will continue over the next several years that will allow us to determine the status of at-risk species and create species-specific action plans as appropriate. Evaluation of soils maps is particularly important at this site to understand the natural community potential of different areas within the larger complex.

Once we have collected, mapped and evaluated the survey information, we then develop a comprehensive management plan. The management plan will prioritize management actions to maintain the pitch pine-scrub oak communities and associated habitat features known to support targeted species. The management strategy will likely include a combination of tree removal, prescribed burning and mowing.

Actual implementation of the management may take place over several years, in incremental phases. Restoration projects of this nature are multi-year and then it usually takes several more years before we might observe results. We can evaluate the success of our project by conducting regular inventories for the birds, plants and insects that are the focal species of this effort.

Initial funding has been received from the Hollis Declan Leveritt Memorial Fund. The River Stewardship Council is supporting the mapping of invasive plants. SVT is currently seeking funds from other sources to complete this work over the next several years.

This is an exciting new project. We are thrilled to have the partnership and support of other organizations which share our vision. A lot of the effort that goes into land restoration requires a dedicated assortment of supporters, willing to contribute their time, effort and resources. We will keep you posted as progress is made and opportunities for SVT supporters to contribute to the restoration of this endangered habitat.