The Anoka Sand Plain (ASP) is a biodiversity hotspot and home to at least 59 species of rare vascular plants in Minnesota. Nearly 20% of the state-listed species occur within the ASP, even though it covers only 2.2% of Minnesota's land area. The ASP is also situated close to a metropolitan center and under continual development pressure, where development plans can impact rare plants. Fortunately, protected lands in the ASP contain high-quality, diverse habitats. These habitats provide an opportunity to study, conserve, protect, and reintroduce ASP rare plant species.

The University of Minnesota Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve (CCESR) comprises 5,400 acres of protected area located within the ASP. It sits at the boundary of conifer forest, tall-grass prairie, and eastern broadleaf forest and contains a mosaic of plant communities including sedge meadow, wet prairie, rich fen, oak savanna, and fire-dependent forest. This assemblage of communities creates habitat for many rare plant species found in the ASP. There are currently 44 records of 19 rare plants from CCESR in the Natural Heritage Information System (NHIS). However, many of these records and survey dates are several decades old and the current status of these plant occurrences is unclear.

Restoration Ecologist Carrie Taylor from Anoka Conservation District, CCESR interns, and local volunteers are following MN PlantWatch methods to survey and record rare plant observations within Cedar Creek. They started surveys in the spring looking for lance-leaf violet (Viola lanceolata) and have since also looked for beach heather (Hudsonia tomentosa), black huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata) and seaside three-awn grass (Aristida tuberculosa). Surveys reviewed existing NHIS data, surveyed locations highlighted by MN DNR species-specific habitat models, and documented areas where plants were recently observed but not in the database. Survey results will provide more detailed, current data for DNR's NHIS. The team also documents notes on the plant community and management needs. If a location is suitable as a recipient site for rescued rare plants, then it is also recorded.

Cedar Creek has practiced and researched prescribed burning since the 1960s and has been part of the National Science Foundation Long Term Ecological Research network since 1982. Thus, CCESR has a long history of vegetation data and areas of active management and areas with no management. Survey results, including the absence of rare plants where they once existed, will be correlated with management history within the Reserve. Mapping current rare plant observations, management history (including fire frequency), native plant communities, current invasive species and other threats, and soil types together will help improve understanding of ASP rare plant species' distribution and the impacts of management on these species. The information learned from these surveys will inform future management decisions to help these rare plant populations persist. Additionally, when development threatens rare plant populations within the ASP, there may be opportunities to salvage plants and relocate them to suitable habitats. These surveys will provide more information on appropriate habitats for plant relocations, allowing salvaged plants to thrive. Rare plants are an indicator of the overall ecological health of the habitat; managing for greater diversity of native plants can support more birds, insects and other wildlife species.

Contact Carrie Taylor at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you would like to volunteer to survey rare plants at CCESR in 2027, rescue rare plants from development sites, and/or monitor plants after they are transplanted into protected sites. 

You can help contain the spread of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)!. Avoid cutting or pruning Ash trees from May 1 through September 31, as EAB is most active during this time. Do not transport firewood off the site where it was collected; doing so may release adults into a previously infested area. The Twin Cities metro and much of Eastern MN are within an EAB quarantine zone. Transporting firewood out of this area risks spreading this forest disease. Find more information on ACD's website.

For more information, contact Carrie Taylor, Restoration Ecologist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Treating buckthorn is a frequent part of ACD's ecological projects to enhance habitat. This past winter, Sally, Caitlin, Darien and Anna joined ACD to help with buckthorn control on 60 acres across Anoka County. This work was completed at sites that are habitats for rare plants. The crew endured deep snow at the beginning of the winter and some very cold days. We are grateful to them for bringing their skills, hard work and care to the projects. We wish them the best as they move on to new positions! 

At Soderville Park in Ham Lake, Minnesota, staff from the Anoka Conservation District (ACD) recently tested a new method for disposing of invasive buckthorn. Instead of creating smoky burn piles, they used a biochar kiln called the Ring of Fire.

The Ring of Fire is a type of biochar kiln designed to burn organic material (biomass)—such as wood and plant debris—in a low-oxygen, high-temperature environment. Compared to traditional burn piles, this process is more efficient and significantly reduces smoke, emissions, and environmental impact.

Traditional burn piles turn biomass into ash, which can generate large amounts of smoke, damage soils, and increase erosion. They also leave burn scars on the landscape that can persist for years, creating disturbed areas where invasive species may spread more easily.

How the Ring of Fire Works

The Ring of Fire works differently. The kiln is packed tightly with sticks and branches and then lit from the top. The flame at the top consumes oxygen from above, while the biomass inside the kiln is superheated with radiant heat. Instead of burning completely to ash, the material below undergoes a process called pyrolysis, in which the heated biomass is transformed into biochar—a stable, carbon-rich material similar to charcoal. 

When biochar is incorporated into the soil, that carbon can remain stored for hundreds to thousands of years, effectively locking atmospheric carbon into the ground rather than releasing it back into the atmosphere.

Biochar also provides ecological benefits for the soil. Its porous structure can bind excess nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates, reducing their availability and often favoring invasive plants. By capturing these nutrients, biochar can help slow the spread of invasive species that thrive in nutrient-rich environments.

Restoration Benefits at Soderville Park

At Soderville Park, the Ring of Fire also improved safety during the burning process. Since the fire's heat is at the top of the kiln, using the kiln prevents flames from heating the underlying peat soils, which can smolder underground if ignited.

After the burn, the biochar was spread in areas with high weed pressure. By absorbing excess nutrients in these soils, the biochar may give native plants—many of which are adapted to lower-nutrient conditions—a competitive advantage over invasive species.

By turning buckthorn piles into biochar, the Ring of Fire offers a creative way to support restoration goals while reducing smoke, protecting soils, and storing carbon.

- Article and photos by Lauren Schmeltzer

Activities to enhance habitat within 45 acres at Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park began this winter. The dense buckthorn that dominated the understory of the woodlands, wetland depressions, edges of Turtle Pond and the Mississippi River shoreline was cut and mowed. The Siberian elms invading prairie and turf areas were cut and removed, and several box elder trees were cut to create a canopy gap for greater diversity. Enhancement activities, including follow-up buckthorn and garlic control, a prescribed burn, native seeding, and turf-to-prairie conversion, will continue through 2030 with support from the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Funds.

For more information, contact Carrie Taylor, Restoration Ecologist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..