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Grassland managers often regard woody vegetation as hostile habitat that potentially reduces the abundance and fecundity of wildlife that use grasslands. We tested that assumption for waterfowl by examining patterns of nest success on study areas that differed in current extent and previous management of woody vegetation. We located and monitored 1,064 waterfowl nests on 33 federally owned Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs) in western Minnesota during 2008–2010. Sites contained 0.3–15.1% woodland and also varied markedly in extent of shrubs and scattered trees. Average nest success was low (12.9%), but ranged from 1.5% to 38.7% among site‐years. Nests were more likely to succeed when located in landscapes containing more grass (500‐m scale) and fewer wetlands (100‐m scale), but none of 8 variables measuring woody vegetation were negatively associated with nest survival and 1 variable (abundance of lone trees) was positively associated with nest survival. Our results indicate that management efforts focusing on removing woody vegetation are unlikely to provide improvements in nest survival rates for breeding waterfowl, except to the extent that such management is necessary to maintain large tracts of grassland. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.

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Prairie reconstructions are a critical component of preservation of the imperiled tallgrass prairie ecosystem in the Midwestern United States. Sustainability of this endeavor depends on establishment of persistent cover of planted native species and resistance to noxious weeds. The goal of this study was to understand the influence of early reconstruction practices on long‐term outcomes. Twelve replicates of three planting methods (dormant‐season broadcast, growing‐season broadcast, and growing‐season drill) and three seed mix richness levels (10, 20, or 34 species), fully crossed in a completely randomized design were planted in 2005 on nine former agricultural fields located in Iowa and Minnesota. Cover by species was estimated in 2005–2007, 2010, and 2015. In 2015, cover of planted species, native nonplanted species, and exotic species were similar to those recorded in 2010. Cover of the noxious weed Cirsium arvense had also declined by an average of 49% without herbicide from a peak in 2007 to low stable levels from 2010 to 2015. Richness of planted forbs, on the other hand, were still increasing in high‐richness broadcast treatments (e.g. 17–59% increase 2010–1015 in Minnesota). Two results in 2015 are reasons for concern: cover of planted species is only slightly over 50% in both Minnesota and Iowa, though with forbs still increasing, this may improve; and the cool‐season exotic grasses Poa pratensis and Bromus inermis are increasing at both Minnesota and Iowa sites. Control of these invasive grasses will be necessary, but care will be needed to avoid negative impacts of control methods on natives.