Assessment of soil composition and vegetation survey of Old Field, Forest 1, and Savanna 2 areas of the Asylum Lake Property, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Understanding how environments recover after years of being impacted by human activity is essential in the design of management strategies for creating urban nature preserves. At the Asylum Lake property in Kalamazoo Michigan, all but one of the impacted habitats have undergone some recovery except for the Old Field habitat, which has resisted in-growth of trees from the adjoining forests and savannas. Thus, core sampling was done in order to determine soil nutrient levels and also to analyze soil particle composition of Old Field compared to the surrounding Forest 1, and Savanna 2 areas. A vegetation survey was done using a quadrat method in order to quantitatively analyze vegetation surrounding the sampled points. Zn levels for Old field were significantly lower than surrounding Forest 1 and Savanna South. Sand levels for Old Field and Savanna North were significantly higher than Savanna South. Forest 1 had significantly higher Fe than Old Field and Savanna North. Forest 1 had significantly higher Phosphorus values than Old Field, while Old Field had significantly higher Mg values than Forest 1. With regards to vegetation, Old Field had a significantly higher numbers of Bromus inermus (Smooth Brome) than Forest 1. Old Field had significantly fewer Agropyron repens (Quack Grass), Dactylis Glomerata (Orchard Grass), Rumex acetosella (Sheep Sorrell), and Achillea millefolium (Yarrow) than Savanna North. Savanna South had more Solidago canadensis (Canada Goldenrod) than Old Field, while Forest 1 had significantly more Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia Creeper) than Old Field. These data indicate that the sandy, low nutrient composition of Old Field support larger numbers of vegetation types such as forbs and grasses compared to adjacent Forest 1. Interestingly the Savanna South area bordering Old field supported the most vegetation with only a non-significant trend of higher Phosphorus setting it apart from Old Field. These data can be used in the design of remedial activities to help speed reforestation in the Old Field area. Introduction The Asylum Lake preserve, owned by Western Michigan University (WMU), is a 274 acre area located in Kalamazoo Michigan (WMU Environmental Institute 2008). The parcel, until 1969, was the site of The Michigan Asylum for the Insane, which later became Kalamazoo State Hospital, and is no longer in existence; the structures were demolished in 1977 and the tunnels were demolished in 1978 (WMU Environmental Institute 2008). Currently, it seems as if the property in undergoing what is called secondary succession, since it was once inhabited and used to suit residence needs. Secondary succession occurs when once inhabited land undergoes the process of reverting back to its natural state; this process could take a number of days or hundreds of years (Offwell 2004).