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Effects of Restoration Management on the Santa Fe Prairie
3.91109
Article
2003
This report assesses the effects of restoration
management at the Santa Fe Prairie, which had
deteriorated after 22 years of fire exclusion. We
compared data collected from high quality dry-mesic and
mesic prairie in 1976 with data collected from the same
vegetation in 1998, 2003 and 2005. The 1998 data
represented conditions immediately prior to the
beginning of restoration management. By 2003, after
five years of fire management, species richness had
returned to former levels. However, this represented a
partial recovery, as dominant prairie grasses and forbs
had not returned to their former abundance. Also, an
increase in generalist plant species with broad habitat
preferences had resulted in increased similarity between
dry-mesic and mesic vegetation. Recovery continued in
2005, with species composition reaching 40-50 %
similarity with data collected in 1996 for both dry-mesic
and mesic prairie. A minor increase in abundance of
native prairie grasses accompanied this change. There
was also a positive response to restoration in wet prairie,
where cordgrass (Spartina pectinata) was present at 95%
frequency in habitat where it was absent in 1998.
Repeated monitoring will be needed to assess the rate at
which continued annual burning and supplemental
seeding enhance the recovery of this site.
management at the Santa Fe Prairie, which had
deteriorated after 22 years of fire exclusion. We
compared data collected from high quality dry-mesic and
mesic prairie in 1976 with data collected from the same
vegetation in 1998, 2003 and 2005. The 1998 data
represented conditions immediately prior to the
beginning of restoration management. By 2003, after
five years of fire management, species richness had
returned to former levels. However, this represented a
partial recovery, as dominant prairie grasses and forbs
had not returned to their former abundance. Also, an
increase in generalist plant species with broad habitat
preferences had resulted in increased similarity between
dry-mesic and mesic vegetation. Recovery continued in
2005, with species composition reaching 40-50 %
similarity with data collected in 1996 for both dry-mesic
and mesic prairie. A minor increase in abundance of
native prairie grasses accompanied this change. There
was also a positive response to restoration in wet prairie,
where cordgrass (Spartina pectinata) was present at 95%
frequency in habitat where it was absent in 1998.
Repeated monitoring will be needed to assess the rate at
which continued annual burning and supplemental
seeding enhance the recovery of this site.
Calendar Year 2003 Staff Publications
The Morton Arboretum Staff Publications and Dataset Collection
Publications
The Morton Arboretum Staff Publications and Dataset Collection
Publications
English
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