The Carillon Woods

Richmond, Va— 2020-current

The Carillon Woods is a 26 acre forest of old growth oak and towering yellow poplar in the City of Richmond’s Byrd Park.  This isolated woodland lies in a sheltered cove above the James River and has all the hallmarks of a fully stocked “cove hardwood forest”, a rich forest community normally found in the mountains.  Typically, the understory contains ironwood, paw-paw, spicebush, holly, black gum, and beech with a diverse herbaceous cover of spring ephemerals, ferns, and perennial wildflowers.

Though the woodland holds great promise as a natural old growth arboretum within the City limits and near heavily recreated areas, it is threatened by the spread of invasive species in the canopy layer, subcanopy layer, and forest floor.  The origin of the invasives comes from fill and vegetation dumped along the edges of the woodland after clean-up operations in Byrd Park.  These invasives have spread through the forest (from the edges), climbing into the crowns of overstory and understory trees and smothering the herbaceous plant community.  A major invasive species eradication and control effort has been under way over the last year to reclaim the forest and restore the natural plant community by removing invasives so native plants can re-emerge and thrive in a healthy, functioning ecosystem.   After one year of extensive restoration work, we have seen the large poplar breathe again and spring ephemerals and ferns blossom on the forest floor.   Though clearing the forest of invasives has been a herculean task, maintaining the health of this forested ecosystem will require yearly follow-up treatments so visitors can enjoy the diversity of native plants and wildflowers that have laid dormant for many years.