Can a Mesic Grassland Mosaic Recover from Thicketization? Insights from Seven Years Monitoring Species Abundance

Taft, John B.; Carroll-Cunningham, Connie; Kron, Zachary P.; Grant, Hannah L.

doi:10.3368/er.37.1.8

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Our study did not attempt to isolate contributions from the individual management techniques (fire, seed additions, invasive species control, etc.). Many other studies have examined the impact of single management treatments, and on their own they tend to lead to modest Floristic Quality gains (fire [ 11 , 62 ]; brush removal [ 12 ]; soil treatments [ 22 , 63 ]). Therefore, our results suggest that a combination is necessary to achieve restoration outcomes of this magnitude, especially in modern ecosystem contexts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To this point, most studies have examined specific individual management techniques (e.g., fire [ 11 ]; brush removal [ 12 ]), despite the fact that few land managers employ only a single management technique at a given site. Because ecological processes, stressors, or management actions may interact synergistically or antagonistically in combination [ 13 , 14 ], studies examining multiple ecological management treatments simultaneously may be especially useful for land managers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…“Floristic Quality” is measured via two principal metrics: the Floristic Quality Index (FQI) and the Mean C (for further description see “Indices” below). These have been widely used to distinguish habitat quality, conservation value, management history, successional status, and restoration success among habitat types (e.g., [ 12 , 26 , 32 – 35 ]). They also have been used to describe changes within plant communities over time (e.g., [ 8 , 23 , 36 ]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dramatic long-term restoration of an oak woodland due to multiple, sustained management treatments

Glennemeier¹,

Packard²,

Spyreas

2020

PLoS ONE

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We measured 34 years of plant community change in a degraded oak woodland undergoing ecological management. Management included regular prescribed fire, control of white-tailed deer populations, repeated sowing of a diverse seed mix, and removal of invasive plants. We tracked change with several conservation metrics. Time series analysis showed no significant changes over time in either plant species richness or the Shannon-Weiner diversity index. Floristic Quality Assessment measures—the Floristic Quality Index (FQI), Cover-weighted FQI, and the Mean Coefficient of Conservatism (Mean C )—all increased dramatically over time, such that their values now surpass those of the highest quality representative of this habitat in the region. Cover-weighted FQI had the added benefit of being quick to respond (negatively and positively) to short-term management changes during the study. This sensitivity highlights its utility for adaptive management, enabling timely, data-driven changes to ongoing management regimes. Plant community composition showed striking changes during the study period, as species of high conservation value replaced weedier species. As a group, conservative woodland species are notoriously slow to recover from degradation, making this flora’s recovery particularly notable. A mid-study cessation of management immediately stalled the woodland’s recovery according to Floristic Quality metrics, but the restoration quickly returned to its positive trajectory with the resumption of management treatments. These results illustrate that impressive plant biodiversity restoration can be achieved, even in highly degraded contemporary oak ecosystems, if ecological management is comprehensive and if it is sustained over time.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dramatic long-term restoration of an oak woodland due to multiple, sustained management treatments

Glennemeier¹,

Packard²,

Spyreas

2020

PLoS ONE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The three systems produce interpretable metrics for monitoring vegetation trajectories over time (Matthews et al, 2009; Hansen and Gibson, 2014), and they are sensitive enough to detect the effects of recent management on vegetation quality (e.g. Taft et al, 2019). Ambitious restoration practitioners will emphasize the re‐establishment of diverse, sensitive plant taxa and achieving a resemblance to historical reference systems (McDonald et al, 2016).…”

Section: Prospectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expert‐based measures of human impact to vegetation

Zinnen

Spyreas

Erdős

et al. 2020

Applied Vegetation Science

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Background Human impact has had a profound influence on modern vegetation. Expert‐based vegetation indicator systems have been developed to measure and characterize human impacts on vegetation. Floristic Quality Assessment (FQA) is a widely used, primarily North American system for assessing degradation and natural quality through species‐based values called coefficients of conservatism. The hemeroby and naturalness indicator value (NIV) systems were independently developed for users to assess human impacts in Europe. Despite the similarities among these indicator systems, there is no mutual recognition among them, and they have developed and operate in relative isolation from one another. Approach We review the FQA, hemeroby, and NIV systems to provide a basic summary of the three systems and to evaluate them, highlighting their nearly identical core mechanics and conceptual commonalities. We also compare and contrast the three systems to less integrative ecological indicator systems that can be used to indirectly measure human impact, notably the Ellenberg system. Findings We describe how FQA and naturalness indicator values, in particular, could be considered twin systems. Despite these core similarities, users of these systems do not cite each other, potentially overlooking benefits from applying methods and concepts from separate systems. The FQA, hemeroby, and NIV systems have unique weaknesses, strengths, and primary applications compared to other ecological indicator systems. Conclusions We conclude by discussing the future role and utility of the three specialized human impact indicator systems for scientists and practitioners. Human impact indicator values may be valuable for use in basic research, but arguably their most important applications are in the practice of conservation, such as monitoring restored ecosystems.

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“…Mechanical thinning combined with burning can be effective at achieving stem (Iverson et al 2017), but can be costly, labor intensive, and sometimes ephemeral (Bassett et al 2020). Furthermore, at least in thicketized grasslands, mechanical treatments can lead to habitat damage when heavy equipment is utilized (Taft et al 2019). Although initial outcomes regarding canopy stem reduction in this study following two burns were inconclusive (Taft 2003), following a total of five burns during the period from 1989 to 2013 (mean fire-return interval of 4.8 yr), tree density at GCB declined 48%, from 47 stems per 0.05 ha plot to 24 stems per 0.05 ha plot, a level recognized as a management goal from baseline data that suggested greater stand densities were associated with declining groundlayer diversity (Taft and Solecki 2002).…”

Section: Overstorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Do early trends in oak barrens fire treatment predict later outcomes? Insights from three decades of vegetation monitoring

Taft

2020

fire ecol

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Background Vegetation structure, species diversity, and composition have been monitored at a fire-treatment and a fire-free control unit of a dry oak barrens and woodland complex in southern Illinois, USA, over a 29-year period and five burns. The restoration hypothesis is that fire management would result in different trends for vegetation parameters of conservation interest between fire treatment and control units, that before–after differences would be greater with fire management, and that early trends provide a reliable predictor for later outcomes. This study examines effectiveness of management in achieving restoration goals and uses response to the first two burns and monitoring results over the first seven years as an estimation period to test whether early trends with fire treatment are a reliable predictor for outcomes following three additional burns over the following 22 years. Results Trends differed between fire-treatment and control units for all parameters measured, and before–after differences were greater at the fire treatment unit. However, trends at the fire-treatment unit during the estimation period were a poor predictor of later outcomes. Tree density and basal area declined more than expected while ground-layer species density, richness, diversity, and percent cover did not keep pace with expectations of increase. Trends at the control unit were more predictable; however, tree basal area declined more than expected, possibly due to an outbreak of rapid white oak mortality disease, and decline of ground-layer species density was less than predicted from the early estimation period. Conclusions Results suggested that fire alone can be effective at restoring woodland and barrens natural areas and that a fire return interval of about every four years would be optimal for maintaining composition and diversity in this specific oak barrens habitat. However, burns followed immediately by severe drought possibly can have negative interactions, resulting in declines of ground-layer species diversity.

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Can a Mesic Grassland Mosaic Recover from Thicketization? Insights from Seven Years Monitoring Species Abundance

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

Dramatic long-term restoration of an oak woodland due to multiple, sustained management treatments

Dramatic long-term restoration of an oak woodland due to multiple, sustained management treatments

Expert‐based measures of human impact to vegetation

Do early trends in oak barrens fire treatment predict later outcomes? Insights from three decades of vegetation monitoring

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