Hays Woods

Environment

Hays Woods has a diverse and healthy ecosystem with meadows and mature forests of oak, poplar, maple, cherry, walnut and other trees. The site contains unique interior forest patches in excess of 325 acres that provide critical and unique habitat for a diverse population of plants, neotropical and nesting bird species and terrestrial furbearers such as fox, deer and bear.

Hays Woods has 3 wetlands and 6 streams that flow through meadowsand steep valleys. The largest of the streams has a perennial waterfall of about 18’ with exposed rock strata. Although the streams contain acid mine drainage from coal mining which occured prior to 1930, the alkaline quality of the soils neutralizes the mine runoff so that the water flowing into the Monongahela River is within safe limits.

Birds

An albino red-tailed hawk has been observed living in the area.

Bird sightings in Hays Woods and surrounding area include:

Oven Bird Fox Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow Green Warbler Wilson's Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler White crowned Sparrow Cerulean Warbler Vesper Sparrow White throated Sparrow Tennessee Warbler Chipping Sparrow Louisiana Waterthrush Bachman's Sparrow Black and White Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Blue-winged Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler Common Yellowthroat Bay-breasted Warbler Cape May Warbler Gold-winged Warbler Kentucky Warbler Nashville Warbler Northern Parula Yellow breasted Chat Worm-eating Warbler Palm Warbler Dark eyed Junco Field Sparrow Mourning Warbler Nashville Warbler Canada Warbler

 

Plants

Hays Woods is a large steep graded urban forest on a mix of natural soils, undermined soils, and fill.   It is a mix of remnant and recovering forest.

Hays Woods has many habitat types, from early successional grass/ shrublands to mature forests.  It has been undeveloped for many years since it was last partially logged and mined.  It is estimated that Native plants comprise 95% of the overall abundance.

Plant Species observed at the site:

Box Elder Red Maple Sugar Maple Tree of Heaven Devil's Walking Stick Yellow Birch Birch Mockernut Hickory Catalpa Oriental Bittersweet Hackberry White Flowering Dogwood Hawthorn Forsythia Ash spp. Witchhazel Black Walnut Privet Tulip Poplar Honeysuckle Japanese Honeysuckle

Crabapple Moonseed Mulberry spp. Hop-hornbeam Virginia Creeper White Pine Japanese Knotweed Black Cherry White Oak Chestnut Oak Buckthorn Alder Multiflora Rose Black Locust Purple-flowering raspberry Sassafrass Lilac Poison Ivy Hemlock Elm spp. Arrowwood Grapevine

Geology

The soils in Hays Woods are a mix of man made and naturally occuring materials.  The site was mined in the early part of the 19th century but has remained relatively undisturbed over the last 70 years.

Morgantown Sandstone has been observed at the site, as well as Birmingham Siltstone and Shale.  Coal is perhaps the most contentous material found on the site.