Oak Savanna at Arbor Day Farm

The Morton Oak, the survivor of an old oak savanna, remains a favorite gathering place for visitors old and young.

In the 1850’s when J. Sterling Morton was establishing his home near Nebraska City, most of the Nebraska Territory was still prairie. Tall prairie grass covered the landscape as far as the eye could see. In eastern Nebraska, along the rivers, there were trees...mostly cottonwood along the streams with bur oak and hickory in wooded upland areas along creeks. But occasionally, rising out of the prairie, were scattered pockets of bur oak, somewhat removed from streamside environments. These areas were referred to as "oak savannas."

Bur oaks, with their thicker bark, were more resistant to the prairie fires that frequently swept across the plains. For weary pioneers heading west, these trees provided shade, timber, and a nostalgic reminder of the trees and forests they’d left back home. Remnants of oak savannas are still found at Arbor Day Farm.

Cavity-nesting birds like this bluebird are making a comeback in the oak savannas of Arbor Day Farm.

These open grass fields with scattered bur oaks provide the perfect habitat for all kinds of wildlife. Over 165 species of birds can be found at Arbor Day Farm. Eastern bluebirds, once common in Nebraska, had almost completely disappeared from the region due to competition from more aggressive birds like the English sparrow. In recent years a renewed interest in restoring the native ecosystem and providing nesting sites for these beautiful birds has resulted in a resurgence in the bluebird population in the Midwest. In 2001, sixty-eight bluebirds were fledged at Arbor Day Farm alone. These bright blue birds are now a common sight at Arbor Day Farm.

To learn more…

Attend the Arbor Day Foundation’s Conference “Restoring Native Ecosystems,” held biannually at Lied Conference Center. Click here for more information on this conference.

For tips on how to bring birds to your backyard write for your free copy of “The Tree Book” and “Conservation Trees,” write to: The Arbor Day Foundation, 211 N. 12th Street, Lincoln, NE 68508.

Web sites:

The Natural Resources Conservation Service - for information on bringing wildlife to your backyard.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology - for information on bluebirds.

Midwest Oak Ecosystems Recovery Plan