Conserving Large Oaks and Recruitment Potential while Restoring Midwestern Savanna and Woodland

Abella, Scott R.; Schetter, Timothy A.; Menard, Karen S.; Ziegler, Emily D.; Sprow, LaRae A.; Gallaher, Timothy D.; Jaeger, John F.; Walters, Timothy L.

doi:10.1674/0003-0031-177.2.309

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Conservation approaches in most of the European temperate woodlands strongly contrast with the approaches applied in similar ecosystems of North America (e.g., oak woodlands). While in the latter, grazing, prescribed burning and thinning are among the most often employed measures (applied as they are supposed to mimic natural disturbances creating open woodlands) to maintain or restore open woodlands (Abella et al., ; Abrams, ; Harrington & Kathol, ); these are extremely rarely practised in Europe.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Past levels of canopy closure affect the occurrence of veteran trees and flagship saproxylic beetles

Miklín

Sebek

Hauck

et al. 2017

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim Open woodlands are biologically highly diverse habitats, and veteran (i.e., old, senescent) trees are key structures supporting their biodiversity. Open canopy structure had been maintained by both natural‐ and human‐induced disturbances. In the past two centuries, suppression of such disturbances, together with forestry intensification, has turned most lowland woodlands into closed‐canopy forests. We investigated the effect of increased canopy closure on veteran trees and several threatened beetles associated with them. Location Floodplain woodlands along the lower Dyje and Morava rivers, Czech Republic. Methods We used an approach combining the study of aerial photographs with on‐ground survey of veteran trees and associated endangered beetles. The aerial images were used to obtain the information on historical (1938) and recent (2009) canopy closure in the area of 146 km2, where we mapped large oaks (d.b.h. >70 cm), hollow trees and three associated beetles including the hermit beetle (Osmoderma barnabita), the great capricorn beetle (Cerambyx cerdo) and the jewel beetle Eurythyrea quercus. Results The presence of large oaks, hollow trees and their associated beetle species are negatively related to recent high canopy closure, and the historical level of canopy closure matters, as in nowadays closed‐canopy stands, the beetles and veteran trees are more common in places that were rather open in 1938 than in the places with closed canopy already in 1938. Moreover, the health state of veteran trees highly depends on the canopy closure. Main conclusion The negative effect of canopy closure on veteran trees and their endangered inhabitants is several decades delayed and may thus often go undetected. In the forests, however, large and hollow trees and their associated biodiversity are relics of the past, more open conditions. The restoration of open woodlands is therefore vital for preventing their further decline. Conservation management planning needs to take this into account wherever, veteran trees and associated biota are concerned.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Past levels of canopy closure affect the occurrence of veteran trees and flagship saproxylic beetles

Miklín

Sebek

Hauck

et al. 2017

Diversity and Distributions

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“…It is a 47600 ha area in Northwest Ohio containing a wide variety of habitat types (Buckman-Sewald et al 2014). About 12% of the region is protected preserve, but the rest is open to development (Abella et al 2017;Martin and Root 2020). The region has experienced major habitat changes since 2009, with a decrease in forests, wet prairie and cropland, and an increase in built-up areas, upland prairie, and savanna (Martin and Root 2020).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying factors across multiple scales that impact bat activity and species richness along roads in a fragmented landscape

RUSSO-PETRICK

Root

2023

Biodivers Conserv

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Roads have variable impacts on wildlife, including bats. Bat habitat preferences along roads vary across spatial scales, creating the need for multi-scale habitat studies. The main objective of this study was to determine what habitat factors impact bat activity and species richness along road transects at local and landscape scales and to identify areas of highest bat activity in the Oak Openings Region of Northwest Ohio using acoustic monitoring. At the local scale, bat activity and/or species richness were positively associated with canopy height, clutter at 0-3 meters, humidity, natural habitat, canopy cover, months water present, and temperature, and were negatively associated with clutter at 3-6.5 meters. At the landscape scale, activity and/or richness had positive associations with habitat heterogeneity, roads, open natural habitats, ponds, upland prairie, and overall forest cover, and had negative associations with conifers and cropland. High activity areas were consistent between years and clustered in the northern part of the region, especially near protected areas and low activity areas were typically located in the southern part of the region near agricultural areas. When managing bat habitat along roads, it would be advantageous to decrease mid-level clutter, vary habitat types, increase savanna and upland prairie cover, avoid excessive conifer or cropland cover, plant tall trees, and provide water sources. This study shows that combining acoustic road surveys with habitat analyses at multiple scales can be used to examine the most important habitat factors in uencing bat activity and species richness.

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“…1). The restored oak savannas, woodlands, and mesic prairies had been managed for the last 14-30 years using tree cutting and dormant-season prescribed fire designed to reduce woody plant encroachment and sustain open structure, detailed in Abella et al (2017). The oak and mesic forest sites that did not receive restoration treatments served as unmanaged comparisons.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Unusually high‐quality soil seed banks in a Midwestern U.S. oak savanna region: variation with land use history, habitat restoration, and soil properties

Abella

Hodel

Schetter

2020

Restoration Ecology

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An overarching conclusion in the literature is that soil seed banks rarely contain many restoration-target species and are often liabilities rather than assets to restoration. Our objective was to evaluate composition and spatial variation of seed banks and their potential contributions to restoration, including restoration-target species such as rare species and those characterizing historical habitats. On 64 sites in a Midwestern U.S. oak savanna landscape, we sampled soil seed banks in seven habitat types (restored oak savannas, oak woodlands, and mesic prairies; unmanaged upland oak and mesic forests; and unmanaged and managed pine plantations). The germinable seed bank was exceptionally rich in restoration-target species. In total for the 64 sites, seedlings of 127 species emerged from seed bank samples. Of the 101 native species, 56 were restoration-target species, an unusually high number among seed bank studies. Restoration-target species in seed banks included 13 threatened or endangered species, in addition to 43 other specialist species associated with high-quality native habitats or on a floral list thought to characterize historical ecosystems. When analyzed across the 64-site gradient, seed banks differed among the seven habitat types and varied with historical (1939) land use, recent management activities that restored open-structured habitats, and biophysical gradients of tree density, soil drainage, and soil texture. While not all restoration-target species were detected in the seed bank, the unusually high-quality seed bank is a potential asset to restoration and was partly structured along environmental gradients across the landscape.

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Conserving Large Oaks and Recruitment Potential while Restoring Midwestern Savanna and Woodland

Cited by 8 publications

References 23 publications

Past levels of canopy closure affect the occurrence of veteran trees and flagship saproxylic beetles

Past levels of canopy closure affect the occurrence of veteran trees and flagship saproxylic beetles

Identifying factors across multiple scales that impact bat activity and species richness along roads in a fragmented landscape

Unusually high‐quality soil seed banks in a Midwestern U.S. oak savanna region: variation with land use history, habitat restoration, and soil properties

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