By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green is parched.
The latest drought map for Ohio shows Wood County as suffering from “extreme drought” conditions. In those conditions, creeks dry up, crops suffer, soil is so dry it may pull away from foundations, trees lose leaves early, lawns go dormant, crop yields are reduced, and livestock is stressed.
And in Bowling Green, it meant the city’s parks needed more care in order to keep trees and plants from turning brown and shriveling up. This past week, park staff reported to the BG Parks and Recreation Board on how the parks fared during the dryness.
At Wintergarden Park, Natural Resources Manager Cinda Stutzman said some plants are struggling.
“They are looking very, very sad. The plants are stressed,” Stutzman reported.
So stressed, she said, that some of the prairie plants didn’t even produce seeds this summer. Those seeds are normally planted in the park’s prairie areas.
Because of the dry conditions, there were no prescribed burns this year. The controlled fires are typically used to get rid of invasive species plants, and to maintain the openness of the prairies by keeping woody plants from encroaching, Stutzman said.
If conditions improve, a prescribed burn may be scheduled for next year, she said.
At Simpson Garden Park, with its massive flower beds and younger trees, the needs are different. The manicured plant beds have irrigation systems, and most of the plants chosen for Simpson are “pretty resilient,” said Operations Coordinator Mike Przysiecki.
But watering efforts did have to be stepped up, he said. Help from the rain barrels installed in the park was limited due to the drought.
The staff at Simpson make efforts to not waste water. “We want to give it just enough,” Przysiecki said.
Grass at the city’s ballfields and other areas with high foot traffic also suffered from the lack of rain.
“We try to stay on top of that as well,” Stutzman said. “It will bounce back.”
Trees to provide shade for spectators at city soccer fields also needed more care.
“The trees are sad,” Stutzman said. “Hopefully we don’t lose too many.”
