While many people rest and rejuvenate during the Midwest winter, for restoration crews it’s often the busiest season of the year. The cold months are when the Forest Preserves’ biggest machinery rolls out to tackle invasive species and clear the way for healthy ecosystems to thrive.

“Winter gives us a unique window to do the heavy lifting of restoration,” says Forest Preserves Resource Management Director John McCabe.

With vegetation frozen or dormant, the ground in winter is less vulnerable to disturbance. At the same time, seasonal migration and hibernation means that sensitive wildlife are less likely to be impacted. The season also helps crews move efficiently, since invasive plants are easier to spot without summer’s dense growth.

The most common sight on large-scale projects over the winter is the skid steer equipped with a forestry mower. With its rubber tracks and low ground pressure, this versatile machine can maneuver across sensitive landscapes with minimal impact on soil and vegetation.

A skid steer can grind through invasive brush and small trees up to six inches in diameter, making it the “bread and butter” of restoration work at Forest Preserves sites like Cranberry Slough, Swallow Cliff, Busse Woods and Red Gate Woods.

Contractors may also bring in larger equipment like feller-bunchers, a specialized machine used for thinning mature trees in restoration areas such as Zander Woods Nature Preserve and Tinley Creek. This powerful tool can grasp, cut and stack trees in one motion, speeding up work that would take much longer with chainsaws alone.

So when you see some serious equipment out in the Preserves with winter, know that they’re on the job for long-term restoration. “By the time spring arrives,” McCabe says, “the land is ready for native plants and wildlife to return stronger than before.”