Promising Results Restoring Grassland Disturbances with Native Hay (Alberta)

Desserud, Peggy Ann; Naeth, M. Anne

doi:10.3368/er.29.3.215

Cited by 8 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 7 publications

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“…In our study, the difference in patterns between the two active restoration treatments partly reflects the fact that species from the weed seed bank in the soil on this relatively recent ex‐arable site initially established in much greater abundance in the diversely seeded treatment, causing a transient flush in their occurrence. Similar patterns in other studies have been interpreted as a result of weed seedling emergence being stimulated by cultivation, with this effect being negated by green hay application but not seeding, due to the added cover of mulch provided by green hay decreasing light availability at the soil surface, and adding to the thickness of the soil layer that seedlings from the soil seed bank must penetrate in order to emerge (Jones et al 1995; Desserud & Naeth 2011). A continued increase in overall species richness in the second year after green hay application, and sometimes even in the third year as observed in our study, is not uncommon (Mann & Tischew 2010; Sengl et al 2017), and is attributed to an initial delay of seedling emergence caused by green hay mulching (Sengl et al 2017) or to primary seed dormancy resulting in delayed germination (Mann & Tischew 2010).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%

Green hay application and diverse seeding approaches to restore grazed lowland meadows: progress after 4 years and effects of a flood risk gradient

Wagner

Hulmes

et al. 2020

Restoration Ecology

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The two most common approaches to target species introduction in European meadow restoration are green‐hay transfer from species‐rich donor sites and the use of diverse seed mixtures reflecting the chosen target community. The potential of both approaches to restore species‐rich grassland has been variously reviewed, but very few studies have experimentally compared them at one and the same site. Moreover, studies involving one or both approaches have rarely taken into account environmental gradients at a site, and measured the impacts of such gradients on restoration outcomes. Such gradients do, for example, exist during grassland restoration on former arable land in river floodplains, where gradients in the occurrence of flooding, and in associated edaphic characteristics such as nutrient availability, might affect restoration outcomes. Using a randomized complete block experimental design, based on five different indicators of restoration progress, we compared the usefulness of green‐hay application and diverse seeding to restore species‐rich grazed meadows of the MG5 grassland type according to the British National Vegetation Classification, and also investigated how restoration outcomes differed after 4 years between areas within experimental plots characterized by high flood risk and areas characterized by low flood risk. Overall, both restoration approaches yielded similar results over the course of the experiment, whereas high flood risk and associated edaphic factors such as high availability of phosphorus negatively affected restoration progress particularly in terms of floristic similarity to restoration targets. These results highlight the need to take into account environmental gradients during meadow restoration.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%