Conservation Easements in California Blue Oak Woodlands: Testing the Assumption of Livestock Grazing as a Compatible use

Reiner, Richard; Craig, A. Carlson

doi:10.3375/043.031.0411

Cited by 17 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 19 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Grazing in a wetland restoration easement is a controversial issue [ 17 ]. Our results suggest the low-level cattle grazing regime used in this study had a neutral effect on the success of restoration.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Assessing the success of hydrological restoration in two conservation easements within Central Florida ranchland

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the USA, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) has restored millions of acres of wetlands through its Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) programs. However, few quantitative studies have explored whether WREs have enhanced wetland hydrology and wetland plant communities. Additionally, USDA Compatible Use Permits for cattle grazing and other management practices are sometimes issued for WREs, but little is known about potential benefits/detriments of such practice on the success of wetland restoration. In this study, we tested if hydrological restoration of previously drained species poor pastures increased water depth and hydroperiod. Restoration involved plugging key ditches, adding water control structures and a berm. We also tested if hydrological restoration increased plant diversity (alpha and beta), floristic quality (using coefficient of conservatism) and increased the cover of wetland species (using species wetland status). Finally, we tested if cattle grazing had an effect on the success of restoration by comparing grazed plots to fenced plots. We studied two conservation easements (a total of 748 acres) located on semi-native pastures in central Florida, USA. We monitored vegetation using permanent transects stratified by vegetation type before (2004–2005) and after (2012) the restoration (2008). We assessed wetland hydroperiod using groundwater wells set up in 2003 and located within and outside the boundaries of these two easements. We used linear mixed models and multivariate analyses to compare vegetation and hydroperiods pre- and post-restoration. Number of flooded days increased following restoration in one of the easements, but we did not detect significant changes in hydrology in the other easement. Floristic quality, beta diversity and cover of obligate wetland species increased in both conservation easements and in most vegetation types. These vegetation changes were likely due to restoration activities since annual rainfall was not significantly different pre- and post-restoration. Cattle grazing did not have a negative or positive effect on the success of restoration, nor did we detect any positive effect of grazing on the success of restoration. Overall, our study shows that hydrological restoration can enhance wetland hydroperiod, water depth and wetland vegetation, but more resources should be allocated to short- and long-term monitoring of the restoration success.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…How restored wetlands are managed is another key to success. The issue of cattle grazing in conservation easements is particularly controversial [ 17 ]. Cattle grazing has been found to degrade water quality in wetlands and alter plant community structure [ 18 – 22 ] with potential negative effects on wildlife [ 23 , 24 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the success of hydrological restoration in two conservation easements within Central Florida ranchland

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Diverse stand structure (i.e., presence of multiple age and size classes) in blue oak woodlands is important to conserving the full complement of ecological niche spaces and species assemblage (Tietje andVreeland 1997, Allen-Diaz et al 2007). Blue oak is currently subject to multiple interacting threats including low recruitment and climate change (Borchert et al 1989, Swiecki and Bernhardt 1998, Tyler et al 2006, Reiner and Craig 2011, Wetzel et al 2012. While land use, including grazing and fire history may impact recruitment (Tyler et al 2006), our small sample size did not allow us to separate out potential effects of land use.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Demography linked to climate change projections in an ecoregional case study: integrating forecasts and field data

McLaughlin

Morozumi

MacKenzie³

et al. 2014

Ecosphere

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Anticipating species movement under climate change is a fundamental concern in 21st century conservation. For blue oak (Quercus douglasii ), an endemic, flagship species in California, we modeled potential responses to future climate, then tested the fit of those projections to empirical field data from natural populations. Specifically, we tested how well species forecasts captured observed recruitment and adult tree mortality, and whether recruitment was structured spatially as a function of fine-scale microtopographic and hydrologic environments. In this ecoregional case study, observed demographic patterns were broadly consistent with theoretical expectations. Adult survivorship was three times lower in areas forecasted to be least suitable as a result of climate change than in areas projected to become suitable. This novel field validation exercise documents patterns of adult tree mortality consistent with model predictions of an emergent shift in distribution. Seedlings and saplings showed evidence of spatial structuring into local refugia in areas projected to contract, suggesting that climate change may reshape how blue oak associates with California landscapes and highlighting the potential importance of micro-environmental diversity in enhancing species resilience to warming.

show abstract

“…There are trade-offs between livestock grazing and some ecosystem services, but there may also be feedbacks that help buffer these trade-offs. Livestock, like herbivorous wildlife and insects, will browse oak seedlings and can prevent young oaks from growing into mature oaks in some cases (Reiner and Craig 2011), reducing the many ecosystem services provided by an oak stand. On the other hand, the presence of oaks has been shown to be neutral to beneficial for livestock production.…”

Section: Ecosystem Services At the Pasture Scalementioning

confidence: 99%

Ecosystem Services are Social–ecological Services in a Traditional Pastoral System: the Case of California’s Mediterranean Rangelands

Huntsinger¹,

Oviedo²

2014

E&S

126

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ABSTRACT. When attempting to value ecosystem services and support their production, two critical aspects may be neglected. The term "ecosystem services" implies that they are a function of natural processes; yet, human interaction with the environment may be key to the production of many. This can contribute to a misconception that ecosystem service production depends on, or is enhanced by, the coercion or removal of human industry. Second, in programs designed to encourage ecosystem service production and maintenance, too often the inter-relationship of such services with social and ecological processes and drivers at multiple scales is ignored. Thinking of such services as "social-ecological services" can reinforce the importance of human culture, perspectives, and economies to the production of ecosystem services. Using a social-ecological systems perspective, we explore the integral role of human activity and decisions at pasture, ranch, and landscape scales. Just as it does for understanding ecosystems, a hierarchical, multiscaled framework facilitates exploring the complexity of social-ecological systems as producers of ecosystem services, to develop approaches for the conservation of such services. Using California's Mediterranean rangelands as a study area, we suggest that using a multiscaled approach that considers the importance of the differing drivers and processes at each scale and the interactions among scales, and that incorporates social-ecological systems concepts, may help avoid mistakes caused by narrow assumptions about "natural" systems, and a lack of understanding of the need for integrated, multiscaled conservation programs.

show abstract

Conservation Easements in California Blue Oak Woodlands: Testing the Assumption of Livestock Grazing as a Compatible use

Cited by 17 publications

References 19 publications

Assessing the success of hydrological restoration in two conservation easements within Central Florida ranchland

Assessing the success of hydrological restoration in two conservation easements within Central Florida ranchland

Demography linked to climate change projections in an ecoregional case study: integrating forecasts and field data

Ecosystem Services are Social–ecological Services in a Traditional Pastoral System: the Case of California’s Mediterranean Rangelands

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Conservation Easements in California Blue Oak Woodlands: Testing the Assumption of Livestock Grazing as a Compatible use

Cited by 17 publications

References 19 publications

Assessing the success of hydrological restoration in two conservation easements within Central Florida ranchland

Assessing the success of hydrological restoration in two conservation easements within Central Florida ranchland

Demography linked to climate change projections in an ecoregional case study: integrating forecasts and field data

Ecosystem Services are Social&#8211;ecological Services in a Traditional Pastoral System: the Case of California&#8217;s Mediterranean Rangelands

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Ecosystem Services are Social–ecological Services in a Traditional Pastoral System: the Case of California’s Mediterranean Rangelands