土地管理工作

Just behind the limestone bluffs that overlook the Mississippi River grow acres and acres of oaks, 红枫, 枫树, 和核桃. Principia's forest allows students to take a few steps away from the traditional classroom and enter a living laboratory where they can examine the ecology of a forest. 最近, 学生们研究了森林的碳储存能力, 鹿捕食橡子和山核桃仁, 鸟巢选址偏好, 橡木和山核桃的再生限制, 以及可持续的木材采伐计划.

Our comprehensive forest management plan ensures that a healthy forest will endure for future generations. 该计划首先要进行彻底的盘点, which helps us identify the quantity and quality of trees as well as areas with important conservation characteristics. 例如, 调查数据显示，森林中有更多的黑橡树, 红橡木, 枫树比200年前多. 此外，白栎树的数量也有所下降. 此外，年轻的橡树和山核桃基本上没有. 几种入侵物种, 比如灌木金银花和大蒜芥末, 在森林的下层植被中繁殖吗. While frequent surface fires had a historically important role in shaping the forest, significant challenges hinder us from implementing fire on a larger scale; instead, 只有小区域偶尔会被烧毁. 所有这些关于十大最大的网络彩票平台森林的观察都直接影响了十大最大的网络彩票平台的计划.

The forest management plan includes provisions for identifying and protecting ecosystem services; rare, 威胁, and endangered species; economic and social impacts; and environmental impacts. 在校长的管理下, forested land has increased by 425 acres and is expected to increase another 50 acres in the next 10 years.

Principia has earned 森林管理 Council™ (FSC) Forest Management certification from Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), 世界领先的FSC认证机构之一，也是FSC的创始成员之一. FSC provides third-party certification confirming that materials sold as FSC certified are harvested from well-managed forest operations. FSC认证的产品包括原木、柴火和枫糖浆. Scientific Certification Systems is the leader in environmental and sustainability certification. 1996年成为首批获得FSC认可的认证机构之一, 自那以来，SCS已经认证了3000多万英亩管理良好的森林和3,全球FSC供应链中的000家公司. Principia的商标许可代码为 FSC-C109754. For more information on how to find certified products or to request a summary of the forest management plan, 请 电邮:土地管理.

中西部标志性的高草草原是一个独特而美丽的生态系统. 然而，这些曾经广袤无垠的大草原，如今只剩下了几处遗迹. 在伊利诺斯州，不到0.历史上仅有1%的大草原保存完好. This is mainly due to the fact that prairies generally occur on rich soil in level areas—ideal locations for farming. 然而, 在一些领域, 比如陡峭, 朝南的断崖, grasses still grow as the land is too steep to farm and too hot and dry for trees to grow. Principia’s four miles of bluff-front property are home to many of these bluff prairies. 由于各种变化的条件, 修复和保护这些遗迹已成为当务之急. 这些草原上的草群落在历史上是靠火维持的, 但是今天火灾不那么频繁了, 树木和灌木慢慢地挤掉了草地. Principia通过移除树木和灌木来维护这些独特的区域, 执行规定的烧伤.

Principia也参与了其他草原恢复项目. A farm field near the Gate House was converted to a native tallgrass prairie nearly two decades ago. 今天，它是一个很容易到达的户外教室, 学生在哪里学习识别草原植物, 研究小型哺乳动物种群, 获得执行规定烧伤的第一手知识. Another prairie restoration is in the works for the farm field across from the Gate House. 当完成, 修复工程将占地40英亩, 为植物研究提供了广阔的空间, 野生动物, 和土壤. 十大最大的网络彩票平台的大草原是《十大网络彩票平台大全》如此独特的原因之一, and we are always looking for new ways to protect and enhance these rare biological treasures.

由生物和自然资源运营经理领导, the 土地管理工作小组 is a group of student workers who assist in managing Principia’s natural areas. The group performs a range of tasks that are essential in caring for our native ecosystems.

Stew Crew的大部分工作都围绕着维护健康的森林展开. 他们对森林进行清查, 它们给十大最大的网络彩票平台提供了关于树木的准确和最新的信息. 这反过来又影响到与木材采伐等有关的管理决策. 斯图·克鲁还致力于对抗金银花在普林西比森林中的蔓延. 金银花是一种入侵灌木，在中西部的大部分地区都很普遍. 它浓密的叶子遮蔽了森林地面，阻止了树苗的生长, 从而改变了森林的组成. We are working to reverse the spread of honeysuckle by cutting down plants directly and through the use of herbicides. Stew Crew also offers students the opportunity to participate in a chainsaw certification class, where they learn how to maintain and safely operate a chainsaw and learn the basics of felling a tree. Students are then able to assist in forest management projects such as thinning the tulip poplar plantation. 

Stew Crew也致力于保护十大最大的网络彩票平台的草原. They remove woody vegetation from the bluff prairies that can edge out the grasses and help maintain the Gate House prairies by assisting in prescribed burns. 火是草原生态系统的自然组成部分，对草原生态系统的健康至关重要. Members of the 土地管理工作小组 gain valuable knowledge of fire as a management tool while contributing to the prairie ecosystem.

就在Elsah的后面是三河社区农场，一个12英亩的无化学品农场. 这个农场出产各种美味的水果和蔬菜, 全部不含除草剂, 农药, 化学肥料. Their goal is to produce delicious, local food that is grown in harmony with the environment. 三河社区农场经营着一个社区支持农业(CSA)项目, 伊利诺斯州和圣. 路易斯的居民可以购买本季收成的一部分. 股东支付费用, 这有助于支持农场经营, 作为回报, 他们从农场收到农产品. 每个星期, 股东们可以拿起他们的好东西, 可能包括西兰花, 西红柿, 西瓜, 甜土豆, 还有更多! 自2007年农场成立以来，CSA的成员已经从150人增加到250人. 农场出产的水果和蔬菜也在当地农贸市场出售. Three Rivers Community Farm is open for visits and also hires interns and apprentices from the local community.  

有关三河社区农场的更多信息，请访问他们的网站: www.threeriverscommunityfarm.com.

校长的社区花园位于大学校园的中心. Garden plots are available to community members who may not have yard space for a garden. 西红柿、辣椒和洋蓟都生长在那里! The garden staff also reaches out to Principians by providing fresh greens and vegetables to 餐厅 Services. Community garden workers are always looking for new ways to operate sustainably and hope you'll join them in discovering the fun of growing your own food!

Principia’s greenhouse is an excellent resource for any plant lover in the community. The greenhouse is home to a variety of plants, from native prairie grasses to bromeliads to cacti! But this space isn’t only for show—it houses plants used for student and faculty research. 社区花园的幼苗也是在这里开始的. 由学生维护, 温室是一个学习如何照顾各种植物的好地方.

Mapping the world around us is an extremely useful tool for making land management decisions. 在原理, both students and faculty have undertaken GIS projects that provide valuable information about Principia’s property. One recent project compared the current forest cover on Principia property to the forest cover in 1950, 揭示了Principia的管理导致了林地面积的增加. GIS has also been used to map the productivity of the sugarbush and identify characteristics of the most successful areas. 未来的Sugarbush Management课程肯定会从这些数据中受益. 校园的排水系统最近也绘制了地图, providing a much-needed update to facilities information and shedding light on erosion patterns near the developed areas of campus. 

The applications of GIS are endless—it can be used to gain data on everything from soil characteristics to 野生动物 to human resource use. Enroll in Environmental Mapping to learn how to use GIS to answer important questions about our surroundings and create focused solutions to land-management problems.