Woodland plants return to Rosenow Timber after invasive honeysuckle removed

The 116-acre Rosenow Timber stands apart from the patchwork of crop fields and pasture in northwest Shelby County

Acquired in the late 1960s, this area had been managed through an agreement with Shelby County until a decade ago, whey they approached the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to return management to the state.

Doug Chafa, wildlife biologist for the Iowa DNR at the nearby Missouri Wildlife Unit, said their work has focused on knocking back invasive species and emphasizing oaks in the timber.

“We had a project this winter where staff from across the district came here to cut and treat honeysuckle, and then earlier this spring we put fire on the north section,” he said. “Where the honeysuckle was really thick, we had less plant diversity in the understory. After we put fire on it, you can see the response – it’s much more open, and you can see some young oaks.

“It will take two or three more fires to go through to get it where it should be, but that will set the table for the oaks,” he said. “That will become a more regular practice. What we’re trying to do here is to make an oak forest in 100 years.”

With the honeysuckle temporarily knocked back, the woodland plants have returned. Wild ginger, Virginia water leaf, sweet Sicily, Jacob’s ladder, Virginia creeper, bottle brush and more, providing quality cover for turkey nesting and for fawns to hide.

Another aspect of the timber improvement is thinning the shade tolerant trees to allow sunlight to reach the floor.

Using a technique called girdling, staff use a chainsaw to cut once or twice around the tree with the intention of killing it, that will eliminate the tree but leave it standing to eventually become habitat for insects, woodpeckers, bats, birds and more. Removing the shade tolerant trees will prioritize the oaks, which need sunlight. The shade tolerant trees will still be here, growing back under the oak canopy.

This timber serves as a stopover for migrating birds and a place to hunt mushrooms. On this sunny late June morning, woodpecker hammering echoes through the timber. A fox squirrel hurries up a tree.

The area is also home to deer and turkeys.

Chafa recalled a story recently of a local resident who wanted to try turkey hunting with his son, and had reached out with questions about one of the larger public areas to the west. Chafa brought up Rosenow Timber and seeing a strutting Tom there and since it’s closer to home, suggested they give it a try.

“He called later to say his son bagged his first bird there,” he said. “It goes to show you it doesn’t have to be the biggest timber to have turkeys in it.”

After enjoying time at Rosenow Timber, head to nearby Dunlap and visit Dairy Sweet for ice cream or to grab lunch.