photo by: Kansas Biological Survey

People explore the new Rice Woodland trail in the Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve.

A new public trail at the Rice Woodland in Baldwin City will be opening next month, offering access to a once research-only forest and showcasing the role of prescribed fire in Kansas ecosystems.

The trail is approximately 1.5 miles long including several loops that are all interconnected, Sheena Parsons, a station manager at the KU Field Station, said. The first public access trail – which can be accessed at 1727 North 500 Road in Baldwin City – was made possible with $75,000 from the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council.

The 80-acre Rice Woodland is a part of the larger Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve, which is one of the best remaining examples of eastern deciduous forest spanning 456 acres. The land is managed by the University of Kansas Field Station, a division of the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research.

Parsons said there’s still lots of things that need to be done before the trail opens on April 25, including installing the trailhead and directional signage as well as adding basic parking lot amenities.

photo by: Kansas Biological Survey

Volunteers help clean up the area around Rice Woodland in preparation for the grand opening of its new trail.

Parking for the trailhead is located in an area that was clear-cut, then farmed until the late 1950s. Since then, the area has become overgrown with eastern redcedar, and in an effort to not only provide access to the woodland but to keep the eastern redcedar from further entering the woodland, it was cleared to become the parking lot.

The area functions primarily as a research site for studying ecosystem dynamics, and before the establishment of the new trail, there was no public access with the occasional spring and fall tours.

Parsons said she couldn’t recall when the KU Field Station ultimately decided to open a trail to the public, but the idea floated around for many years.

“(The trail) has been something that people have talked about over the years and ways to add a trail safely, there just wasn’t the right time,” Parsons said. ” … I started talking to some friends at the Kansas Forest Service to see about how we might be able to get a (prescribed) burn in. And then that kind of evolved into, ‘Okay, now we have this burn, let’s show it to people.'”

Parsons is referring to a prescribed burn to the Rice Woodland in November 2023. Using fire can be an important environmental stewardship tool in hardwood forest ecosystems, helping build resilience through fuel reduction and opening areas that encourage hardwood recruitment and promote healthy native plant growth.

Parsons said she wanted to use the new trail as an educational opportunity for the public. By inviting people into the woods to experience the impact of woodland burns firsthand, the project helps broaden understanding of the role fire plays in Kansas landscapes. The trail will also act as a permanent firebreak in the Rice Woodland in order to support future fire stewardship.

photo by: Kansas Biological Survey

People explore the new Rice Woodland trail.

“It took four years for us to prep and then find the right conditions to get that first reintroduction of fire,” Parsons said. “And so, our hope is that by maintaining this trail system, we’re that much closer to being ready when the conditions are right to be able to jump in and conduct a prescribed burn.”

Parsons said this work is only the beginning. She said what will be showcased to the public at the end of April is the first phase of a larger project. Staff are planning to continue building out a few more areas that can be accessed in the Rice Woodland. Currently, the bulk of the trail system is on the east side of the new parking lot with some areas to explore on the west side.

“The bulk of the trail for this first phase will be on the east side of the parking area in that burn track, and then we’ll probably cut out just a little bit on the west side, and that’s why we’re calling it phase two of the project.”

Parsons said there is a deep creek that cuts through the Rice Woodland, and it has created challenges in connecting the trails on both the east and west sides.

“So we are going to have to do some additional fundraising and grant writing to hopefully secure some funds to build a bridge to be able to get across that deep creek, so that we can eventually have all of the trail system accessible from that parking lot for people to experience.”

The Baldwin Wood Forest Preserve doubled in size in 2016 – from 202 acres to 456 acres. The U.S. Forest Service and the Kansas Forest Service used a Forest Legacy Grant to help purchase the additional land. Additional funding was provided by The Conservation Fund, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and a Douglas County Heritage Conservation grant.

In 1980, a portion of the historic Baldwin Woods area was designated a National Natural Landmark in recognition of its importance to the cultural and ecological heritage of the U.S. The Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve protects an area within the designated landmark.

While this is the first public access trail in the Baldwin Wood Forest Preserve, the KU Field Station maintains other trails at its research site located north/northeast of the Lawrence Municipal Airport. Like the other trails, the Rice Woodland trail is open to foot traffic only. No bicycles or motorized vehicles allowed. Pets are also not allowed.

photo by: Kansas Biological Survey

Volunteers help clean up the area around Rice Woodland in preparation for the grand opening of its new trail.

Parsons said she hopes visitors will have a chance to see a lot of the natural wonders inside the Rice Woodland.

“We all have different experiences as we walk through this world and very different things are memorable to us,” Parsons said. “Our goals are to continue facilitating access to some of these natural wonders and to give people opportunities to just be in nature and have these encounters with plants and animals and just take some time to unplug.”

OPENING DAY AND AN ART EXHIBITION

The public is invited to the opening of the new Rice Woodland Trail from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 25, at 1727 North 500 Road in Baldwin City. The celebration will begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by a performance by Shannon Stewart, KU assistant professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance, and Tahni Holt with Oskar Trujillo.

After the ceremony, visitors are encouraged to explore the trail at their own pace and talk with ecologists and foresters, who are stationed along the way. Parsons said to keep an eye out for volunteer opportunities and other updates at the KU Field Station’s Facebook page.

In addition, there will be a juried exhibition, “An Ode to Eastern Redcedar,” of work created by local artists using eastern redcedar at the Lumberyard Arts Center, 718 High St. in Baldwin City. The exhibition is currently still accepting applications for artists to submit their work until Saturday, April 4 – whether it’s a drawing, carving, sculpture or a painting. People interested in learning more and entering can visit https://givebutter.com/xZEEgL.

The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday, April 25, and it can be viewed until May 23. The gallery hours include Wednesday through Friday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon.