PARENT SESSION
Oral Session #73: Restoration Using Fire.
Presiding: D. Falk
Thursday, August 8. 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM. Mohave Meeting Room, TCC.
Restoring degraded tallgrass prairie in southeastern Manitoba, Canada.
Sveinson, Julie*,1, McLachlan, Stéphane1, 1 University of Manitoab, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
ABSTRACT- Agriculture and urbanization have reduced tallgrass prairie to less than 1% of its original cover in North America. Although management can be used to reverse or slow degradation of existing habitat, most restoration in Manitoba has focused on constructing new prairie. The objective of this study is to identify the effects of fertilization, disturbance, and seed availability on degraded tallgrass prairie. In 1999, we established a replicated long-term experiment within the Manitoba Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. The factors consisted of ammonium nitrate, glyphosate herbicide, fall burning, mowing, and seed drilling of native species. We selected high quality prairie within the preserve, using it as reference against which treatment-related vegetational changes could be compared. Aboveground species composition, percent cover, and diversity of native and exotic species were measured. Soil samples were collected to assess soil nutrient status and moisture content and seedbank composition. Vegetation cover of both exotic and native species increased with fertilization whereas herbicide application increased the cover of exotic species, in particular Agrostis stolonifera. Fire and mowing decreased litter and will contribute to increases in germination and establishment of re-introduced native species. Exotic grasses including Poa compressa and Phleum prantesis dominated the seedbank and few native species were present. Both disturbance and seeding contributed significantly to prairie restoration and our results suggest that the rehabilitation of degraded tallgrass prairie should receive greater attention in the province.
KEY WORDS: tallgrass prairie restoration, fire, mowing, fertilization