Experimental Station Laboratories

About the Program
The DuPont de Nemours Experimental Station Laboratories (ESL) site is a 150-acre campus in Wilmington, Delaware, that is mostly landscaped, with some wooded buffer areas and no-mow zones. The surroundings are suburban and include a neighboring creek and a bordering state park with natural areas.

Practices and Impacts

• The team at ESL embarked on a project to manage and maintain trees on-site since 1991, with the goal of increasing the percentage of native trees over time. Comprehensive tree monitoring surveys are completed every three years, during which the trees’ location, species, diameter, crown measurements and growth conditions are recorded and individual trees are tagged.
• A certified arborist maintains the trees throughout the year using techniques like trimming, mulching, treatment of pests, root invigoration and replacing dead or dying trees with native species.
•  In 2015, several no-mow areas were designated to provide additional forage and cover opportunities for wildlife.
• The team maintains nest boxes to provide habitat for bluebirds, chickadees, wrens and house sparrows. Boxes are monitored weekly throughout the breeding season using camera scopes.
• Avian population data is submitted to Cornell University's Nestwatch Program.