Revegetation Project

1 The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has stepped in to provide restorative practices upon 500,000 acres of heavily degraded public grasslands. This land is suffering from severe soil erosion as well as degradation due to overgrazing. The suppression of natural fires has caused shrubs and invasive weeds to encroach upon the grasslands. A full scale assessment will take place on this land before restoration efforts begin. The first thing that would need to be assessed is the soil, for it is eroding and holding little nutrient value. Samples would be taken of this soil from various parts of the grasslands including the eroded gullies. Each soil sample would be taken from at least 1 foot below the surface, to test for carbon richness below the topsoil. These would then be tested for texture, density, water retention, and chemical composition. Typically, powerful, healthy soil will contain amounts of both Nitrogen and Phosphorous, which are essential nutrients in sustainable plant growth. These samples would also be tested for any build-up of salts, something known as soil salinization. Unhealthy, salinized soil is created over years of over-hydrating and deep plowing. Excess water will suffocate root systems of once-healthy crops, and salinized soils will reduce crop output up to 20% (Withgott &Brennan, 2011). The next assessment would be in the shrubs and invasive weed species on the land. Knowing the volume and location of these plants gives way to a better understanding of

Many farms have at least a portion of woodland whose potential isn’t realized because farmers are too busy doing other things like milking cows and growing corn, or they just don’t know how to manage it, and try to also control the deer

Currently, the sagebrush ecosystem is rapidly declining across the Western United States, with over 350 associated plant and animal species at risk of being lost and imperiled. The main reason for the sagebrush decline is the steady encroachment of cheatgrass and pinyon-juniper. The invasion of these plants are fueling larger and more frequent fires that are out competing sagebrush as well as the associated grass species that are native components of the ecosystem, taking over much land that sagebrush once occupied. Cheatgrass was introduced to North America through contaminated grain seed, straw packing material, and soil used as ballast in ships sailing from Eurasia in the late 1890’s and is now the main culprit behind sagebrush decline.

The soil nutrient availability is higher around trees that are older bigger and less available around open fields. The rich soil tends to be near trees and cannot thrive thrive out in the open. Light availability differs with the types of trees and the open grasslands. Some plants have to survive and fight for sunlight. The decomposition rate is pretty quick because of termites that are in the

Little Bluestem is one of the most abundant grasses in Kansas, and its roots which grow 5-8 feet long, enable it to resist moderate drought conditions (SITE). Plots 5 and 6 contain co-dominant species; Yellow Indian Grass (20%), Big Bluestem (30%), and Prairie Dropseed (35%) are all dominant. In Plot 7, the dominant species is Prairie Dropseed (40%). The dominant species in Plot 8 is Big Bluestem (25%). In Plot 9 and 10, Little Bluestem becomes dominant again, and Switchgrass is observed to be the co-dominant. Species richness is shown in the Figure 5; there is a higher species richness in Plot 1 through

The mission of the NRCS is to help producers understand the need for vegetative cover during all seasons, so that soils are not lost and increasing the producers’ yield for the benefit of both the producer and the nation. We develop property management plans, restoration plans, crop rotation guidance and many other services that aid producers.

Smooth brome is widely planted as a drought-resistant forage and cover crop. A serious problem facing managers of many prairie remnants of the northern Great Plains and true prairie is the invasion and persistence of exotic cool-season grasses, particularly smooth brome (Biederman et al., 2014; Otfinowski, Kenkel, & Catling, 2007). Smooth brome is a deeply rooting, rhizomatous perennial that often excludes other species, thus contributing to the reduction of native species diversity and altering biomass dynamics in natural areas (Biederman et al.,

Furthermore, Robin and Sebastian specify the current problem on public land is the over-rest of grass which is arguable just as bad for the grassland area and its biodiversity as overgrazing (Rediscover The

Many studies have been done on the effects of wild mustangs on rangeland ecosystems. During the course of these studies, many benefits have been credited to the presence of wild mustangs, such as, an increase of native plant species, soil moisture retention, and the reduction of dry inflammable vegetation in fire prone areas (9). These benefits can be attributed to my previous statements about the wild mustang’s unique digestive system, which also aids in the buildup of absorbent, “nutrient-rich humus” characteristics of healthy soil (13). It is understandable then, that if many native plant species are benefited by the mustangs, so too are all the animals that depend on these plant species. From other herbivores that also consume the plants to the predators that hunt the plant eaters and so on up the food chain. Wild mustangs have proven to be useful to the survival of other rangeland species. This can be seen during winter months when the mustangs instinctively break through heavily crusted snow where the grass cannot be seen, and use their hooves to open up frozen springs and ponds so that smaller animals are able to drink (13). The prosperity wild mustangs offer, has led to my belief that their benefits far outweigh their adverse effects

Upland prairie and oak savanna ecosystems are among the most imperiled vegetation types in North America. Upland prairies can be described as a type of dry grassland consisting of mostly native bunchgrass and annual and perennial diverse forbs. Oak savannas are specified as ecosystems with continuous grass or forb ground cover with a scattered distribution of open-growth oak trees and small groves of oaks. While the Willamette Valley was once dominated by these landscapes, upland prairie oak savanna systems currently exist in only 0.5% of their historic range. Chip Ross Park is a combination of the two and is considered an upland prairie oak savanna (Boyer 2010).

Grazing cattle on public lands can have many advantages. Monetary gain is a large reason why lands are utilized (Council for Agricultural Science, Livestock Grazing on Federal Land). However grazing may be used as a tool for managing rangelands. Grazing could have possibly been the first form of rangeland management other than fire (Frost, Prescription Grazing). With this method, weeds and other undesirable vegetation were targeted to reduce numbers. However, if prescribed incorrectly it could lead to poor conditions for other organisms living in that environment (Frost, Prescription Grazing). Recently there has been a push toward research for the protection of the sage grouse. In this paper we will explore the effects of rangeland grazing and rangeland treatments on the sage grouse and its habitat.

The tallgrass prairie has been reduced to less than one-tenth of one percent (0.1%) of the original area that it used to cover. Because of the small percentage of remaining area of the tallgrass prairie, ecologists might feel that the tallgrass parries is the most endangered ecosystem. It is believed to have covered around 25 million acres in Minnesota and Iowa at one point, but now there is less than 300,000 acres scattered around Minnesota and Iowa. The remaining acres of tallgrass prairie is scattered in small areas that do not have much wildlife value. Since the area is so scattered, many animals that live in these tallgrass prairies are having troubles finding places to live because they don’t want to make their nest on the edge for fear

Riparian areas are locations of many communities that not many acknowledge as a primary needs or impactful regions. Growing up along a riverbed opened my eyes to the importance of a healthy riparian area and what happens to the surrounding habitat if the area is not maintained. Without necessary support, a riverbed collapses over time and creates a layer of sediment on the riverbed, this results in a loss of riverside habitat and the loss of niche to many water creatures. I witnessed this as a need along Wolf Creek in Lacombe and decided that someone must take the initiative, I was that person. To raise funds and awareness of my project I entered the Caring For Our Watersheds competition, I qualified in the top ten and placed sixth, earning $600 for the

Ranch Land Restoration In order to asses the condition of land I would begin by estimating the population of domestic herds and examining levels of grazing by looking for evidence of invasive plant species encroaching to an unhealthy extent (Prior, 2014). I would also assess the condition of native grasses, streams, ponds and lakes in order to get to get a better idea of the land’s current potential (Prior, 2014). Healthy soil is essential to sustainable agriculture. 2 In order to examine the land’s soil I would estimate the percentage of the ground that is bare so that I could determine the potential for soil erosion (Prior, 2014). After noticing shrubs encroaching on grassland areas, significant soil erosion and the overgrowth of invasive

Scrubby flatwoods are a functional intermediate between scrub and mesic flatwoods and are often (though not always) found as an ecotone connecting them. The scrubby flatwoods savanna is characterized by an open overstory of widely-spaced pines, sparse understory of scrub oaks and ground cover consisting of scattered grasses, forbs and dwarf shrubs situated among small openings of bare sand. Compared to scrub, scrubby flatwoods relic dune soils are less well drained, however, they are sufficiently drained to preclude ponding, even during heavy rain. In order to maintain open structure, scrubby flatwoods require relatively frequent (5 to 15 years), low intensity surface