Managing an arid ranch in the 21st century: New technologies for novel ecosystems

Bestelmeyer, Brandon T.; Utsumi, Santiago; McCord, Sarah; Browning, Dawn M.; Burkett, Laura M.; Elias, Emile; Estell, Rick; Herrick, Jeffrey; James, Darren; Spiegal, Sheri; Webb, Nicholas P.; Williamson, Jebediah

doi:10.1016/j.rala.2023.05.002

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…As the benefits of appropriate grazing for the management of complex grasslands, such as Coastal Prairie restorations and longleaf pine savannas, become more widely recognized, grazing services for woody understory management in combination with prescribed burns may provide an additional income opportunity for some livestock producers. The recent development of grazing livestock control (using virtual fence boundaries) without the typical extensive fence infrastructure [46] provides increasingly realistic possibilities for the short-term use of such grazing services for woody plant management options. Strategies for combinations of short-term grazing and prescribed burns will require additional development for effective use, but such a combined approach provides promise considering the historic value of large-herbivore grazing and periodic fires for maintaining the grassland components of early landscapes.…”

Section: Diversity At Landscape Scalesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scales of Diversity Affecting Ecosystem Function across Agricultural and Forest Landscapes in Louisiana

Pitman

2024

Diversity

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Current land use and extensive modifications of natural ecosystems across the state of Louisiana are generally similar to those across the southeastern USA where rainfall supports forest ecosystems. Both intentional and unintentional consequences of ecosystem modifications from the scales of water and sediment movement across a field edge to state-wide loss of functional grasslands are legacies from previous development across the state. While major investments and large-scale, long-term plans are aspects of some continuing ecological issues across the state, small-scale, volunteer-led restoration of native grassland plant communities in the Louisiana Coastal Prairie illustrates the value associated with the restoration of natural ecosystem function in drastically disturbed environments. As is now becoming increasingly recognized, Louisiana grasslands represent less obvious components of forest, woodland, and wetland landscapes across the state, where they have contributed essential wildlife habitat, and ecosystem functions. These are now largely missing from many landscapes across the state and region. The strategic restoration of grassland functions combining novel native grass pastures and fully functional native grassland plant communities as landscape components could provide both economic and ecosystem benefits. Specific native grassland seed resources are needed for various restoration activities to enhance ecosystem function at a range of scales across the state and region.

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Section: Diversity At Landscape Scalesmentioning

confidence: 99%