What Sisters are doing
Following up on 2009 recommendations from the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Franciscan Sisters are working to improve their land near De Soto, Missouri.
In late summer, 2011 a group of volunteers from the Missouri Master Naturalists came with chain saws in hand to remove invasive cedar trees that were competing with native pines on the Sisters' property.
Over 40 cedar trees, from small to extremely large, were removed that day.
Another invasive species present on the land is bush honeysuckle. Maurice has procured a tool called “The Honeysuckle Popper” that dislodges the bush by its roots from the soil. Many such bushes were eradicated during the fall of 2011.
The state also recommended that trails be put in the Sisters' woods for the benefit of humans, animals and as a firebreak. This past December, as well as during January 2012, three different trails have been created through marking, cutting and lopping.
Finally, an area is being planned for creation this spring, 2012 that will be planted for the attraction of and benefit to wildlife. Plants in this area will include sunflowers, milo and alfalfa.
Continuing to follow-up on the State’s recommendations, the Sisters’ future plans call for more cedar to be cut out of the woods as well as ongoing removal of bush honeysuckle.