Master Gardeners to present Ouachita Mountains glades program at library

The Garland County Library and Garland County Master Gardeners will present the first “Know It To Grow It” program of 2023, “Sustainably Managing Glades: A Rare Plant Community In Arkansas,” in the library’s auditorium, 1427 Malvern Ave., at 10 a.m. Saturday.

No advance registration is required. The event is first-come, first-seated.

“The Ouachita Mountains are home to many rare plant communities, such as glades,” according to a news release about the event.

“Glades are natural openings in the forest, characterized by thin soils and exposed bedrock, that house a diversity of rare plant species. Many of these plants are endemic, meaning they are found in the Ouachita Mountains and nowhere else in the world,” it said.

Due to fire suppression, “many glade communities have been encroached on by cedar trees and other woody species which shade out the smaller flowering plants. The USDA Forest Service uses thinning and prescribed fire to restore these rare plant communities. The explosion of color on restored glades after a burn is magnificent. Come learn about the restoration work the Ouachita National Forest is doing with its valued partners to sustainably manage these important ecological communities.”

For this event, the Master Gardeners return to an in-person format only for the first time in three years. Previous KITGI presentations can be found on the library’s Facebook and YouTube pages.

For more information about the library’s services and offerings, visit http://www.gclibrary.com or call 501623-4161.