AriensCo Conservation

About the Program
AriensCo manages 11.7 acres of prairie oak savanna between its two manufacturing facilities in Brillion, Wisconsin. Once common in Wisconsin, it is estimated that only 0.01 percent of the original 5.5 million acres of oak savanna in Wisconsin remain. The prairie oak savanna is linear in shape, connecting a 1.5 mile recreational trail allowing the community access to the site. The original planting comprised all native species, including bluestem, milkweed, and other vegetation known to attract pollinators. The team is working to achieve at least 75% native vegetative cover and representation of 50 native species. By 2025, AriensCo envisions having at least 50 acres of healthy example oak savanna dominated by open canopy oak trees with a thriving and diverse understory of native tall grass prairie species.

Practices and Impacts

• The 2019 monitoring indicate native vegetative covers approximately 84% to 97.5% of the area. A total of 62 species were identified during the monitoring events. The project has been deemed successful in terms of percent cover of native species, the success rate of tree establishment and the native wildlife species observed.
• AriensCo is moving forward with converting another 80 acres of land to conservation management, much of which will be dedicated to oak savanna.