Swallow Cliff Woods Forest Preserve is a 1.25 square mile (3.24 km²) forest preserve located southwest of Chicago, Illinois, in the Midwest region of North America. This area has a temperate climate with major changes through the seasons. Yearly precipitation is 40 inches (102 cm), which includes snow during the winter. Summers are hot and humid while winters are freezing cold. The hilly landscape was formed thousands of years ago by glaciers. Swallow Cliff Woods has a high level of biodiversity. It is made up of a mix of forest and grassland plants. Moreover, over 34 species of nesting birds and 250 kinds of mushrooms and fungi make this relatively small area their home.

Prior to European settlement in this area, fire played a major role in keeping this ecosystem healthy. Since cities developed, the people living here have prevented fire. The absence of fire has changed the biodiversity of the area. The white and red oaks in the preserve have been around for hundreds of years because they have thick bark that makes them able to withstand the fires that used to sweep through this ecosystem. However, in the absence of fire, sugar maple, which cannot withstand fire, can replace the oaks as the dominant tree. This substitution leads to major changes in the diversity of plants, animals, and fungi in the area. For example, invasive plants like hawthorn, buckthorn, arrowwood, honeysuckle, and barberry fill in the open areas forming thickets that reduce the sunlight available to other plants.

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