Recently the Mid-Atlantic Audubon Society wrote up a large landscape-type scale forest management plan which included Rider Park. For Rider Park manager Sara Street, her park is going to get a forest management plan written by one of the foresters and it’s something she is more than excited about.

“I need a new management plan. They’re good for every 10 years and I know ours is outdated and they’re really expensive because a lot of data is collected.”

Street noted that it can easily run $10,000 for a forest management plan.

What the plan itself does is go through the landscape and see different areas for said property. In the case of Rider Park, it can help with a wide range of things.

“They go through the landscape, all 867 acres here at Rider Park and they’re looking to group tree species that are similar into management areas. So if I have to manage trees, I want to manage the same species in a certain way if that makes sense,” Street said. “They also look at age classes, if younger trees, they will be managed different than older trees. It’s kind of complicated but you have to break up your property into management areas and each management area has certain prescription for how you should manage it long term for next 10 years.”

“Whether I have to cut black birch in this area or get rid of white pines or plant as many different species as possible because this isn’t regenerating, or deer plant up or manage invasive plants,” Street said. “Tons and tons of information.”

And all of that information will prove beneficial for Rider Park. It helps in addition with bird species at the park too.

“They might say this stand would benefit blue wing warbers, so we want to keep it open because we only want so many trees per acre here,” Street said.

The Mid-Atlantic Audubon Society focuses mostly on creating habitats that will benefit bird speciies, especially those of greatest concern such as forest dwelling warblers or the American Woodcock habitat.

“So the forest program staff has developed a program where they actually certify foresters who will go into your forest and write a forest management plan and then manage the landscape that yes, you can timber your property, but you will do it in a way that will create bird habitat,” Street said.

All in all, helping bird population at Rider Park is something everyone will enjoy, especially dedicated birders who frequent the trails.