At the University of Michigan's Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum, we are involved in several important initiatives and activities outlined below to help restore and protect our natural areas. These areas often require our active care and attention to keep them "natural." Exotic invasive species, suppression of fire, decline of native species and severe erosion all contribute to the steady deterioration of the lands under our care. We address these concerns in an integrative and wholistic approach to insure the health and stability of our local native ecosystems.
By cutting, pulling, burning and with the use of herbicides, we control exotic invasive plant species and reduce or eliminate them from our Natural Areas
...
Fire is a critical component of oak-hickory forests, oak savannas, and prairie ecosystems. Through the reintroduction of fire by prescribed burning, we can help to reestablish and protect them and all the species which inhabit them
...
At MBGNA we collect seeds from many native plant species in our Natural Areas for the purpose of propagating and reintroducing them into degraded natural areas on our properties
...
At MBGNA through the use of bioengineering or "soft engineering" techniques, we are addressing many of our erosion control issues using live plant material, structures built of natural materials, and landscaping solutions
...
As more of the natural beauties of Michigan are destroyed by commercial exploitation, the value of the Arboretum will become more apparent and the wise policy of the board of Regents and the City in preserving and developing it will be appreciated more widely year by year.
-Aubrey Tealdi, 1922
