Prairies are imperiled habitats, with remnants being generally small and often existing in isolation. Invasive plants have the potential to invade not just the edge of small remnants but also the interior because smaller remnants experience greater edge effects than do large, contiguous prairies. Additionally, invasive plants limit recruitment of native plants, which can arrest secondary succession. We proposed to assess techniques for restoration that included removing annual grasses and supplementing native species recruitment with seeding of native grass and forb species. We also assessed the effect of specific factors affecting recruitment: soil moisture and seed predation. Treatments included broadcast, spot, or no application of the herbicides imazapic and glyphosate and with or without seeding plus mulch. With treatments nested within each of three plant communities, ranging from annual- to perennial-dominated communities, in four blocks per community, plant characteristics (percentage of cover and plant density), soil moisture availability, and seed-predation losses were measured along a plant community gradient within one season at two locations. A combination of broadcast herbicide application and seeding with mulching was found to be more effective in reducing annual grasses and enhancing the establishment of native grass species in predominately annual and mixed communities (annuals and perennials). Spot herbicide application was effective in predominately perennial communities, whereas only seeding native species did not improve recruitment. Although seed predation reduced seedling recruitment, mulch provided seed protection and enhanced soil moisture retention. Plant community response to imposed treatments differed among communities, suggesting that a decision support tool would facilitate management decisions tailored for each plant community. The decision tool would be useful to ensure that appropriate treatments are applied and that specific factors affecting recruitment, such as seed predation and soil moisture, are addressed.
Fuels reduction decisions are made within a larger context of resource management characterized by multiple objectives including ecosystem restoration, wildlife management, commodity production (from timber to nontraditional forest products), and provision of recreation opportunities and amenity values. Implementation of fuels treatments is strongly influenced by their perceived influence on and compatibility with overarching management objectives. In some cases these objectives may be complementary while in others they may involve difficult tradeoffs. Such tradeoffs are only further complicated by institutional mandates, limited availability of information, and complex ownership patterns. Like natural resource managers across the United States, those in the northern Lake States must balance these competing demands as they seek to build their management programs. However, there is limited information available to support these management decisions in the mixed red (Pinus resinosa Ait.) and eastern white pine (P. strobus L.) forests of the northern Lake States. This report informs fuels management decisions in the northern Lake States by synthesizing existing knowledge from the fields of silviculture, forest ecology, wildlife ecology, forest economics, public acceptance, and decision science. We provide an overview of forests and fire regimes in the northern Lake States followed by a description of different fuels treatment techniques and their expected outcomes. We then include a discussion of comprehensive management principles to consider in developing fire and fuels management programs for the region.
Invasive species are an issue of global concern because they can have large impacts on ecosystems and are challenging to manage. We present an activity aimed at improving undergraduate students’ understanding of the ecological impacts and management of invasive species. Students work collaboratively in teams to examine the impacts of a particular invasive species on an ecosystem (a fictional national park). The teams then propose policies that would assist their park in minimizing the introduction and impacts of the invasive species, and discuss potential limitations of these proposed policies. Finally, the teams present their proposals in class, which allows for class discussions and opportunities for collaborative learning. By engaging in this activity, students can develop a more concrete understanding and appreciation of both the impacts of invasive species and the challenges involved in managing them.
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