Arrive by 8:50 am as we start at 9:00 am. In case of cancelation due to weather, a notification will be made via email and phone to participants who have signed up.

About:

During these winter workdays staff and volunteers work to restore oak woodlands, savannas, and other lands by removing invasive brush (e.g., honeysuckle, buckthorn) and trees invading the desired habitat (e.g., black locust, boxelder, cherry). Two roles are needed to be filled by volunteers – a Hauler and Sawyer role. Sometimes options exist for volunteers to use a brush cutter or loppers. We will give an introduction and training to those unfamiliar to this workday. Participants should be ready to work in winter conditions and should dress for the weather (thick socks, layers, etc.) and wear clothing that can get dirty and holes, as we will likely be burning brush piles and there will be embers. Bring drinking water and a snack if desired.

– Haulers assist sawyers by moving cut items such as branches and stumps away from the sawyer’s work location. We will have a skid steer to do the heavy-lifting, but haulers will need to help pile these items in areas where the machine can access them. Haulers will also be responsible for treating cut stumps with herbicides to prevent re-growth. If you’d rather not work with herbicides, please let us know.

– Sawyers will be operating chainsaws to cut brush and various sizes of trees. We will work with you to understand and accommodate your comfort level with using a chainsaw. Sawyers must be chainsaw certified with Dane County Parks (details on Required Trainings are on our Invasive Tree & Brush Removal web page).

For further questions, please contact: 

Lars Higdon (608) 286-9497 higdon.lars@danecounty.gov 

Shane Otto (608) 575-0396 otto.shane@danecounty.gov

Leah Kleiman (608) 843-1863 kleiman.leah@danecounty.gov