Ambler campus is part of the eastern deciduous forest which encompasses many different local landscape types. Humans have managed this forest for their purposes over thousands of years. Current land use has significantly altered the landscape. The university athletic fields and 7.5 acre student parking lot are now located south of Meetinghouse Road. Academic buildings, dormitories, loop road, ornamental gardens and arboretum are concentrated to the north. Approximately 45 acres of woodland ring the edge of campus buffering it from the primarily residential development nearby. Two small streams, Tannery Run and Rose Valley Creek with associated floodplains run through the woodland. The biodiversity of the campus is greatest in the woodland/stream areas.

Native plants: Trees: Tilia Americana (American Basswood), Nyssa sylvatica (Blackgum), Carya ovata (Shagbark Hickory) Shrubs: Vaccinium corymbosum (Blueberry), Rhododendron sp., Corylus Americana (American Hazelnut) Herbs: Claytonia virginica (Virginia Beautyberry), Podophyllum peltatum (Mayapple), Aster cordifolius (Michaelmas Daisies)

Animals: Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, Chipping Sparrows, American Robins, American Crows, Red Tailed Hawk, Canada Goose, Deer, Fox, Skunk, Eastern Ribbon Snake and other snake species.

Pressures

The deer population significantly exceeds the capacity of the environment to sustain it. Browsing has cleared the understory of many native herbs and young woody plants and provided opportunities for invasive species to take over. This cycle of deer browse followed by opportunistic exotic plant invasion reduces current and future biodiversity because native species are unable to regenerate.

Potential

There is great potential for increasing both plant and animal biodiversity on the Ambler Campus. Ecological landscape restoration of the woodland and streams involves developing an ecological base map and responsive master/management plan with targeted areas phased over time. Objectives would include eradicating invasive plant species; controlling the deer population; and replanting a variety of native species. There is opportunity to restore/develop native meadow to promote survival of some plant and animal species—and for scenic beauty. Finally, the campus must assess its land use and traditional lawn maintenance regimes for their impacts upon biodiversity.

Read the full article by Dr. Mary Myers >>