Welcome to Labagh Habitat Keepers!
Since 2015, Labagh Woods has been the site of a large scale planting project for native shrubs and trees. These plants begin as sourced seed from Chicagoland forest preserves and are then grown by local native nurseries.
Prior to planting, areas are first cleared of invasive species such as Buckthorn. Fencing is placed around the new plantings to keep deer out. These cages are referred to as ‘peanuts’ because of their oblong, asymmetrical shape – a key strategy to keeping the deer from jumping the fencing.
This website serves as a data collection tool for monitoring these plantings. Volunteers (Habitat Keepers) actively check peanuts for a variety of issues, such as overgrowth of invasive species or cage damage from fallen trees. Success rate of plantings is also monitored in order to inform the planning of future peanut sites or the need for replanting in the event of plant mortality.
We invite you to explore the data and and learn with us!