North Dakota's forest resources, 2011

Bird Population Changes Following the Establishment of a Diverse Stand of Woody Plants in a Former Crop Field in North Dakota, 1975–2015

“…North Dakota is in the northern Great Plains of North America, where low annual precipitation, extreme temperature fl uctuations, strong winds, and periodic droughts provide a relatively hostile environment for trees, shrubs, and other woody vegetation (Wright 1970;Haugen et al 1999). Stewart (1975, 4) described the North Dakota landscape before settlement as "great uninterrupted expanses of nearly treeless prairie. "…”

“…Th e long, curved lines were designed to reduce the vulnera-1975;Johnson et al 1976;Hesse 1996;Dixon et al 2012), the overall abundance and distribution of woody vegetation have changed dramatically. Woody vegetation has become increasingly more common in the state as exotic species and hardier varieties of native trees and shrubs have been planted in windbreaks, shelterbelts, and urban and residential areas (Haugen et al 1999). In addition, the suppression of prairie wildfi res and extirpation of native ungulates, which historically limited the growth of woody vegetation, have resulted in the encroachment of native and non-native trees and shrubs into open grasslands (e.g., Grant and Berkey 1999).…”