General Objectives:

• To keep wooded areas in good condition for future generations.
• To maintain and enhance biological diversity, natural beauty, and opportunities for a variety of recreational activities to the residents of Iowa City.
• To reduce the negative impacts and populations of a variety of exotic invasive plant species within the park boundaries.

Introduction
In 2003 Karla E. Hirkawa from the University of Iowa produced a detailed analysis of the park called Hickory Hill Park Past, Present and Future: A Vegetation Analysis and Management Plan. This analysis included a detailed inventory of the native and non-native plants found within the park boundaries. This paper does a good job of describing the past and present vegetation of the park, and the need for management in the future. In 2006 I was asked by a representative of the Friends of Hickory Hill Park to walk the area, and give management suggestions from a forester’s perspective. This General Forest Management Plan that follows is based on the vegetation as I found it in the park during a walk in December 2006. It should be noted that the southern portion of the park near the main shelter was significantly impacted by the tornado that hit Iowa City in the spring of 2006.

General Description
This park was established in 1967 in northeast Iowa City. The park was very small when initially established, but it has been expanded to approximately 185 acres in size over the years. There are indications from the original 1839 survey notes that the townships containing what is now Hickory Hill Park were covered by a mixture of timber and prairie (Hirokawa 2003). Looking at 1930 aerial photos of the area that has become the park I estimated that in 1930 there was only 10 to 15 acres of tree cover on the site. This tree cover was also very open compared to the tree cover currently on the site. Without management or activity many of the original open areas visible in the 1930 photos were slowly invaded by woody vegetation over the years. Looking at 2005 aerial photo’s of the park I estimated tree cover has increased to 80 to 90 acres since the 1930’s. Until just recently there has been no significant management of the existing vegetation carried-out in the park since the park was established. The terrain in the park is generally rolling to steep in some locations (5 to 40% slopes).

Soils Descriptions
The majority of the soil within the park boundaries is a Fayette silt loam, which is well-drained and often considered a native forest soil.

Stand Description and Management Suggestions
For the purpose of this plan I have divided the woody vegetation into 14 different areas or stands (see enclosed map). These stands or areas will be divided into three different layers: overstory (upper level of the forest), mid-story (middle layer), and understory (lower level) if those layers are present. The density of each layer will be defined three possible ways: dense, moderately dense, or scattered.

Trees in these stands or areas will be put into five possible size categories: seedling-sized (less than 1 inch in diameter), sapling-sized (1 to 4 inches in diameter measured at breast height (DBH) 4.5 feet off the ground), pole-sized ( 5 to 12 inches DBH), small sawtimber-sized (13 to 19 inches DBH), and large-sized trees (> 20 inches DBH). Shrub and non-woody vegetation will also be listed when found in significant populations.