Kolb 500-Year Forest

Since 1973, Jean and Hal Kolb have owned property in a mountainous area southwest of Charlottesville, Virginia, which consists of a 113-acre north-facing tract and a 63-acre south-facing tract.  Both parcels are forested, and the upper reaches of the larger one contains some oaks and hickories approximately 200 years old.  A clause in the conservation easement donated by the Kolbs to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation states that the 500-Year Forest Foundation will supply services to help “promote old-growth forest.” 

Phil Coulling, Vegetation Ecologist for the Virginia Natural Heritage Program, visited the Kolb forest in September 2004 and reported that the vegetation consists primarily of mid- to late-successional forest recovering from both timber harvesting in the early 20th century and a wild fire on the south-facing tract in 2001.  Two broad community groups are present: rich cove and slope forests  occupy the north-facing parcel, whereas oak/heath forests dominate the south-facing tract.

Tom Dierauf, retired research forester, with the Kolbs assistance has conducted a tree and plant inventory in thirteen permanent study plots, twelve by Tom Dierauf, one by Phil Coulling.  The conservation plan calls for the forest to age naturally, invasives to be controlled and certain trees to be restocked in canopy gaps.  The plan is to be reviewed at least every ten years

Kolb Forest - May 2008

Non-native invasive plants coming into the forest from adjacent properties present an ongoing problem.  Birds and animals disseminate seeds of invasive as well as other plants over the areas of their territory which of course do not correspond to human property lines.

Thus, the battle to control invasive plants takes continual effort. Over the years Jean Kolb has worked diligently to control garlic mustard.  Her efforts have been successful in removing it from many areas and greatly limiting its spread in others.

With serious help from the Mehrings, Peter and sons, Adam and Ryan, oriental bittersweet is beginning to be reigned in.  Although Japanese stilt grass has been cleared from several small areas and reduced in some others, it remains a major problem.  Areas infested with mile-a-minute vines are relatively small and will be attacked in the coming weeks.

Of the many flowering plants in the Kolb forest, some have been so heavily browsed by deer that the Kolbs have fenced in an area 65 by 85 feet to protect the deer-favored species such as the ones pictured here.

In flower:  white trillium, pink wild geranium, yellow lady’s slipper.   

In leaf:  wild hydrangea, bloodroot, yellow impatiens, goat’s-beard, heart-leaved aster

Kolb Forest - October 2007

This has been a good year for the Kolb forest.  The Kolbs, with volunteer and paid help, have put a significant dent in the invasive plant population in their forest.  There’s now a lot less Ailanthus, Oriental bittersweet, garlic mustard, and mile-a-minute vine.  Shirley Halladay volunteered many hours pulling Japanese stilt grass.  Peter Mehring (whose work was paid for by the Foundation) helped attack bittersweet and pretty well exterminated the autumn olive, and Peter’s sons, Ryan and Adam, assisted.  Japanese stilt grass will take years to control but with the Kolbs’ daily surges against invasives and their competent, knowledgeable, and industrious helpers, they are optimistic that they can protect native species in their forest.

Shirley Halladay contributes to the 500-Year Forest
Foundation by volunteering to remove non-native invasive
plants from the Kolb Forest.  Shown here holding Japanese Stilt Grass she has just pulled out, Shirley helped Jean Kolb work over this patch last year before it made seed, so that this year, there are only a few new plants to pull. Shirley, a member of the Virginia Native Plant Society, has also pulled garlic mustard, mile-a-minute, and other invasive species in the Kolb forest.  She volunteers as
well with Stream Watch, a group that monitors the health of local streams.

Peter Mehring removing Bittersweet                              

Shirley Halladay with Stilt Grass

Kolb Forest - May 2007

For more than a year, the 500-Year Forest Foundation has been mapping sites of previous human activity in the Kolb 500-Year Forest using GPS technology and the owners’ knowledge of historical and natural features.

The often steep terrain in between holds hollows, old apple orchard terraces, remnants of old house sites, and a maturing mixed deciduous forest covering nearly all of the property.

On the lower slopes, an abandoned cabin and the scant remains of a barn mark the site of the earliest farm on the property. An abandoned frame house, higher up and near the western property border, overlooks orchard terraces of a later farm. Upslope from each, rusted iron pipe remnants, former water lines to the dwellings, protrude from the ground. A half-buried barrel, used for mixing calcium carbide and water to produce acetylene gas  for light fixtures and a set of kitchen cooking burners, is still in place near a third old house foundation.

Kolb Forest - August 2006
For most of August, it was too “too darn hot” to be out in the woods doing anything at all. The drought has reduced the stream in the hollow above the house to five very small pools in the exposed bedrock, the least water I’ve observed there in 30 years. It’s too dry to set out more oak seedlings. When it rains and/or the days cool off, we’ll get back in the woods.

On banks and well drained spots, the Stilt Grass is looking deathly dry but, where it grows in low places and has plenty of sun, the Stilt Grass is thick and knee high. After I worked in a really thick patch (to eradicate it) and acquired 21 baby ticks and 29 chiggers on my ankles, I started rethinking my timing. In the past, I left the Stilt Grass (invasive) till later because it blooms so late, but I think I should attack it earlier.

During a cool spell, I re-checked the (Hurricane) Isabel plot and removed the remaining Mile-a-Minute vines left after we’d pulled most of them back in the spring. A fallen tree’s upturned root mass that was engulfed with Mile-a Minute last summer had only one diminished vine on it. A native wild grape was now taking over the root mass.

Back in June, Hal spent a lot of time cutting or pulling Oriental Bittersweet and we’re beginning to see a reduction in the worst places.  This report prepared by Jean Kolb.

Kolb Forest - April 2006
Deer like to eat oak seedlings. Placing a strong wire cage around a small oak protects it until it grows above a deer’s reach. Since oaks require plenty of sun, five small oaks in forest canopy gaps (where more sunlight reaches the ground) have been enclosed in five-foot-high cages (See photo). These little oaks will be monitored and their cages removed when they are tall enough to make it on their own.

Trees (mostly chestnut oaks) were measured and their locations on the Natural Heritage plot recorded, bringing it into harmony with the other twelve plots. The largest chestnut oak on the NHR plot is two-feet in diameter and bears a healed fire scar, probably from 1930.

A Louisiana waterthrush has returned to nest, as usual, along the small stream in a hollow. Ovenbirds, Wood thrushes, a Cerulean warbler, Scarlet tanagers, and Red-eyed vireos are beginning to sing in the woods.