native prairie restoration workshop - pcap-sk.org prairie restoration workshop february 8-9, 2012...
TRANSCRIPT
Native Prairie Restoration Workshop February 8-9, 2012
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Mark Majerus (Retired)
USDA Plant Materials Center
Bridger, Montana
Simply the re-establishment of a plant cover, most
often a monoculture of an introduced species.
Established to provide a ground cover to reduce
erosion and to produce a forage resource.
The process of returning disturbed land to a
condition that approximates the original site
conditions and is habitable by the same or
similar plants and animals which existed on the
site before disturbance. (Redente et. al 1994)
The process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that had been
degraded, damaged, or destroyed. Soc. Ecological Restoration
Not a discrete event. Strives to reinstate ecosystem development,
which includes plant species diversity, soil integrity, nutrient cycling
and animal and microbial diversity.
permanent damage to soil
structure & viability
♦ salinization
♦ contamination with heavy metals
and/or acidification
♦ loss of topsoil or radical mixing
w/ subsoil
Nuttal alkaligrass
alkali sacaton
alkali bluegrass
alkali cordgrass
slender wheatgrass
Inland saltgrass
basin wildrye
slender wheatgrass
Nevada bluegrass
Indian ricegrass
thickspike wheatgrass
bottlebrush squirreltail
Gardner saltbush
slender wheatgrass
thickspike wheatgrass
saline/alkaline acid/heavy metal no topsoil or mixed
with subsoil
western wheatgrass
green needlegrass
bluebunch wheatgrass
Idaho & rough fescue
bluebunch wheatgrass
Indian ricegrass
prairie junegrass
Pitting to reach lower
EC and capture natural
moisture
(simulate hoof prints
where vegetation tends
to establish best)
Plant in fall for seed
stratification and to have
seed in place to take
advantage of diluting
spring moisture.
Establish mature
vegetation by sprigging. Diluting salts w/ sulfuric acid
Add lime and organic matter
to increase pH
Cap entire area and construct 18 hole
Arnold Palmer designed golf course
Pitting and gouging to expose
higher pH soil and capture
natural moisture.
Utilize species that have
an evolved tolerance of
local edaphic conditions
(Antonovics 1968)
Add organic mater to improve
infiltration and moisture retention.
♦ wood chips ♦ native hay
♦ straw ♦ pre-plant cover crop
♦ manure -annual legume
♦ compost -grain
♦ sugar beet pulp
Grow a grain crop to
decrease soil bulk density
and build up organic matter
Incorporation of wood chips to create
infiltration pathways in bentonite soils
Mulch to reduce
evapotranspiration
Wind
Water
Gravity
Stabilization techniques:
Armoring -rock riprap
-gabions
Revetments- anchoring
trees
1 meter
root
growth
in 36
days
Establish deep
potted woody
material in
capillary fringe
away from water
edge
capillary fringe
water table
armoring
60 and 90 cm pots
Slotted watering tubes installed adjacent to
containerized sapling to provide subsurface
soil moisture—capacity 8 or 16 liters
Pipelines Road Obliteration
Roadsides Rely heavily on seed
rain from adjacent
natural areas to add
species diversity over
time. Seedbank and plant
propagules in
salvaged topsoil
-Loss of perimeter seed
sources
-Often large area:perimeter
ratio
-No source of native propagules -
-Loss of surface soil structure
-Often high fertility residual
-High possibility of weeds and exotics
Wildland collection Commercial production
Seed availability and Cost
• inherent productivity • ease of conditioning
• uniformity of ripening • stand longevity
•tendency to shatter • abundance- wild &
•ease of harvest commercial fields
-little variation within populations
-distinct variation among populations
-need to utilize best adapted
ecotypes
-exhibit significant variation among
individuals
-less variation among populations
-each ecotype adapted to broader range
slender wheatgrass
Canada wildrye
blue wildrye
bluebunch
wheatgrass
rough fescue
big bluestem
Self-pollinated-pioneer-colonizers
Cross-pollinated-late seral dominants
Saline-alkaline sites
“Pryor” / “Adanac” Foothills & Mountains
“San Luis” / “Highlander”
San
Acid/Heavy Metal Impacted
“Copperhead” mid & shortgrass prairie
“Revenue”
Strong slender wheatgrass
Canada wildrye
thickspike wheatgrass
western wheatgrass
bottlebrush squirreltail
Moderate green needlegrass
needle & thread
blue grama
bluebunch wheatgrass
little bluestem
Indian ricegrass
Weak prairie junegrass
Sandberg bluegrass
Idaho fescue
Cool-season grasses
Warm-season grasses
Forbs
Shrubs
Sowing
Germination
Emergence
Establishment
Juvenile
Mature
Varying competitiveness at different stages of development
-can’t include all indigenous species and
expect them to establish and survive
-the amount of the more aggressive species
must be limited
-the theory that ‘if a little is good, more is
even better’ does not apply. Create even
more competition
-calculate % of mix by seed number of each
species per unit area and adjust for vigor
-create a different mix for changes in soil,
aspect or desired plant community
(sculptured landscaping)
Brillion seeder
double disk w/ depth bands
broadcast seeders
Critical elements
-shallow depth
-firm soil
-good seed:soil
contact
-timing
-seed quality
Mid-July needle and thread biscuit root
green needlegrass prairie smoke
Indian ricegrass scurfpea
Sandberg bluegrass
Early August bluebunch wheatgrass lupine
prairie junegrass prairie coneflower
blue grama yarrow
western wheatgrass prairie clover
side oats grama
September/October big bluestem dotted gayfeather
little bluestem penstemon
prairie sandreed
Alternate row/cross planting - alternate warm-season and cool-season grasses
- alternate grasses and forbs/shrubs
Scalp small areas to colonize forbs and
shrubs within new grass stands
Inter-seed into very young stands only
to avoid competition of well established
plants
Species Diversity
Richness
Evenness
Spatial heterogeneity
Less exotics/invasives
Soil Health
Soil Organic Matter (SOM)
Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)
Soil Nutrients
Soil Biota
Soil Invertebrates
Enzyme Analyses
Bacteria
Fungi
Mycorrhiza
Direct Comparison vs. Attribute Analysis