Effects of planting method and seed mix richness on the early stages of tallgrass prairie restoration

Larson, Diane L.; Bright, J. B.; Drobney, Pauline; Larson, Jennifer L.; Palaia, Nicholas; Rabie, Paul A.; Vacek, Sara; Wells, Douglas

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2011.10.018

Cited by 50 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Variability in some of the key resources necessary for restoration, such as native seed availability, required staff and plans to be adaptable. Additionally, drilling techniques that were successful elsewhere were not as effective in this landscape, an outcome consistent with Larson et al's [32] comparison of broadcasting, drilling, and season across sites from east-central Iowa to northwestern Minnesota. Rigid prescription of methods, although perhaps valuable and necessary for establishing funding and getting a project started, will likely need to be modified to guarantee success.…”

Section: Effective Restoration Plansupporting

confidence: 75%

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Talking Big: Lessons Learned from a 9000 Hectare Restoration in the Northern Tallgrass Prairie

et al. 2012

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Large tracts (>1000 ha) of prairie are essential to the sustainability of grassland ecosystem services, yet in many ecoregions only small fragments remain. Glacial Ridge is among the largest prairie-wetland restorations ever attempted. Started in 2000, the 9000 ha project in northwest Minnesota, USA, was initiated to reconnect 14 small tallgrass prairie remnants. In all, 15,200 ha of contiguous habitat comprise the project's direct accomplishment. We created a partnership of more than 30 organizations, filled 177 km of drainage ditch, restored 1240 ha of wetland, and replanted 8100 ha. Flooding has been mitigated, water quality improved, and native vegetation reestablished. Animals not documented for decades have again occupied the site. Despite these accomplishments, the project would have been unnecessary if the land had been purchased in the 1970s, prior to conversion to agriculture, at one-tenth the restoration cost. Our challenges related to funding, differences in partners' restoration philosophy, community concerns about floods and tax losses, difficulties in obtaining seed, and follow-up management of invasive weeds. We summarize the restoration process and share basic principles that will help others to develop large-scale prairie restoration projects in the future. OPEN ACCESSSustainability 2012, 4 3067

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Section: Effective Restoration Plansupporting

confidence: 75%

“…By using dormant season broadcasting, we more than doubled planting rates to 81 ha per day. Dormant season broadcasting is considered a best practice for prairie restoration in Minnesota [32].…”

Section: Vegetationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Talking Big: Lessons Learned from a 9000 Hectare Restoration in the Northern Tallgrass Prairie

et al. 2012

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“…But some of the most common methods used to establish plants, such as broadcasting, which is used by over 92% of managers, are known to have variable success rates dependent on season and site (Larson et al 2011). If increasing forb diversity is most important for bees, it will be important to broadcast during the winter, which is currently done in about half of sites, and possibly to continuously add seed or to drill plant species known to be important for bees.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Managers reported using drilling, plugging, and broadcasting (see Table 2) to establish seeds in a site. These different seeding methods and the season in which they are used can have variable success at establishing plants (Yurkonis et al 2010;Larson et al 2011). In most restorations, seeds were broadcast, which has variable success depending on season of planting and site, with increased forb densities observed when broadcast during the winter (Larson et al 2011).…”

Section: Seed Establishmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These different seeding methods and the season in which they are used can have variable success at establishing plants (Yurkonis et al 2010;Larson et al 2011). In most restorations, seeds were broadcast, which has variable success depending on season of planting and site, with increased forb densities observed when broadcast during the winter (Larson et al 2011). Most managers acknowledged that the success of their planting methods was less than 100%, and often multiple methods were used to help increase plant diversity.…”

Section: Seed Establishmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Common Methods for Tallgrass Prairie Restoration and Their Potential Effects on Bee Diversity

Harmon‐Threatt

Chin

2016

Natural Areas Journal

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Restoration of Terrestrial Communities

Wilson

2016

Encyclopedia of Life Sciences

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Restoration aims to return ecosystems that have been altered by humans to states similar to unaltered systems in terms of dominant vegetation, energy flows, water capture and nutrient cycling. General themes in restoration include the degree of alteration, setting goals for the restoration, incorporating evaluation of progress, and methods for ameliorating soil and returning vegetation. A major challenge in many systems is creating vegetation with desirable species composition and richness, as opposed to low‐diversity stands of exotic species. Socioeconomic factors may have overriding influences on restoration strategies. Opportunities for advancement include replication of restorations among years to incorporate variation in weather, and reporting of more outcomes, including negative results. Restoration is a field ripe for research, both in the synthesis of applied knowledge and as a system for experimentally addressing a broad variety of ecological topics. Key Concepts Restoration aims to return ecosystems that have been altered by humans to states similar to unaltered systems, typically enhancing both biodiversity and ecosystem services. Goals for restoration should be specified during the planning phase. The goal for restoration is primarily a socioeconomic question, dependent on community wishes and available resources. Economic benefits from restoration are tangible but limited, so other benefits must be clear. Restoration using exotic species is common, because of increased demand for ecosystem services and increased ubiquity of exotic species. Exotic species can rapidly produce novel stable communities. Consequently, the endpoint of one restoration (an exotic, economically productive community) may be the starting point of another restoration to eliminate these species and restore native communities and enhance diversity. Mine spoils may require chemical amelioration to reduce acidity or heavy metals. Soil organic matter often needs to be increased on severely altered sites, but in other cases needs to be decreased. Propagules of desired species usually need to be added, as seeds, transplants, turves or hay. Continuing evaluation and management is often required to aid succession in moving towards the goals.

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Effects of planting method and seed mix richness on the early stages of tallgrass prairie restoration

Cited by 50 publications

References 59 publications

Talking Big: Lessons Learned from a 9000 Hectare Restoration in the Northern Tallgrass Prairie

Talking Big: Lessons Learned from a 9000 Hectare Restoration in the Northern Tallgrass Prairie

Common Methods for Tallgrass Prairie Restoration and Their Potential Effects on Bee Diversity

Restoration of Terrestrial Communities

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