Since 2018, Woods to Wetlands, LLC has been assisting a homeowner with the restoration, stewardship, and enhancement of woodland habitat located in Barrington Hills, Lake County, Illinois. The property consists primarily of high-quality remnant woodland and savanna dominated by oak and hickory species. After W2W’s initial assessment of the woodland habitat, staff ecologists developed an ecological management plan and provided several recommendations to eradicate non-native species with the overall goal of obtaining a self-sustaining, healthy native plant population.

W2W has performed routine stewardship and prescription burning to open the herbaceous layer of the woodland to sunlight which has allowed for an existing seed bank consisting of native wildflowers to emerge and bloom. Species observed include but are not limited to big leaved aster (Eurybia macrophylla), white trout lily (Erythronium albidum), red trillium (Trillium recurvatum), mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum), green dragon (Arisaema dracontium), wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), blood root (Sanguinaria canadensis), and rue anemone (Anemonella thalictroides).

W2W has also implemented woodland habitat enhancement and several other planting and seeding projects, with the goal of achieving nearly maintenance free natural areas. W2W selectively chose conservative native species which are known to spread via rhizomes to discourage the establishment of weed species. After purchasing, obtaining, transporting, and delivering hundreds of native plants, W2W staff designed the plant layouts and completed the plant installations, taking extreme care to avoid damaging existing plant and tree root systems. Additionally, W2W staff are currently restoring an area on the property recently cleared of buckthorn and other invasive woody species into prairie and wetland habitats. Continued stewardship work is planned for 2023.