Oak Savanna

Norwegian: Eik savannen

The oak savanna is on the north edge of the trail. This oak savanna began growing about 175 years ago, and currently the Fish and Wildlife Agency is helping to maintain. They cleared the brush in 2015 with plans to burn it spring of 2016. The oak savanna goes from the trail in the first meadow north to Farmers Elevator. An oak savanna was once a common habitat in Minnesota, but has now become a rare ecosystem. An oak savanna is a community of scattered oak trees above a layer of prairie grasses. A savanna relies on periodic disturbances such as grazing, drought, or fire to flourish. These disturbances prevent other trees from establishing themselves and turning the habitat into a forest. The thick bark of oak trees protects them from fire and prairie grasses are resilient to fire. This particular savanna has both bur oak and white oak trees.