Restoration Woodman Fen is a restoration project. The damaged fen was purchased by Five Rivers MetroParks in 2003 with help from the Clean Ohio Fund. The restoration of the site has been funded by the Walmart Corporation to compensate for some low quality wetlands that were lost to commercial development in the Dayton area. The materials for the boardwalk were also donated by Walmart, with the construction provided by Five Rivers MetroParks staff.
What Is a Fen? Fens are a rare type of wetland that are saturated with cold limey groundwater and usually contain thick deposits of black peat. Fens were once common in southwest Ohio, but most were converted to farmland long ago. Fens are home to many rare species of plants and animals that depend on these unusual conditions. Almost Lost The springs and groundwater that fed Woodman Fen with water were drained away long ago, and the rich variety of native plants were mostly destroyed. The land was farmed, and portions of the 36-acre site were used as a place to dump unwanted concrete and other debris. All the surrounding land was developed into housing after World War II. More recently, the land was abandoned and invasive shrubs like Asian amur honeysuckle and European buckthorn invaded and covered the damaged fen. However, some of the unusual plant species as well as the 6-8 feet thick deposit of peat remained.
BEFORE
creating small pools for wildlife
AFtER
Bringing back the Rare Plants
Removal of Invasive Shrubs
To bring back the rare plants that used to be at Woodman Fen, MetroParks staff, volunteers, and the JF New Company collected seeds from healthy fens nearby. These seeds were germinated and raised in greenhouses until large enough to transplant into the fen. In the spring of 2009, 10,000 of these were planted into Woodman Fen.
Thickets of European buckthorn and Asian amur honeysuckle made walking or working in the fen nearly impossible, and they allowed little else to grow. These shrubs were sprayed with a careful application of herbicide to kill them. Large mowing machines ground the dead shrubs to mulch.
Building the Boardwalk Restoring the Water Supply Cold spring water is the life blood of a fen. The water supply was drained from the site long ago by farmers who installed a network of clay tiles several feet below the surface. The tile systems channeled the water to the ditch on the north side of the fen along the railroad track. To restore the water, a long underground wall of sheet piling was pushed deep into the peat parallel to the ditch. This wall severed all of the old tile system and prevented the natural spring water from draining away. The fen became much wetter almost immediately.
The restored Woodman Fen is a great place for people to learn about and enjoy their natural heritage. To make experiencing the fen possible for most people, it was necessary to construct a boardwalk. The Wamart Foundation contributed the funds for the materials and Five Rivers MetroParks staff constructed it in 2010.
Green Frog (summer)
Great-Crested Flycatcher (spring-summer)
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed (August)
Orange Coneflower (summer) Great Horned Owl Nestling (April)
Queen of the Prairie (July) Sedges and Rushes (all year)
Skunk Cabbage (March)