Experts give tricks of the trade on tallgrass prairie restoration

"A common problem in conservation is that the wealth of experience and knowledge that practitioners gain over time is not well aggregated and shared." 

This is the sentiment that motivated Helen Rowe from Purdue University to interview 38 experienced tallgrass prairie managers about what they have learned from conducting ecosystem restoration on their preserves. She published her findings in a new article in the journal Restoration Ecology.

The managers were asked about the effectivness of using various grassland restoration techniques related to site preparation, seeding, and management. The respondents also reported on the top threats and impediments to conducting successful tallgrass prairie restoration.

This article will likely be interesting to students and less-seasoned restoration practitioners in that it provides insight on best practices currently being implemented by experts as well as some tricks-of-the-trade gleaned from years of trial-and-error.

The study is also interesting because it shows that talking to resource managers can provide insight into best practices that might not be as obvious just from looking at scientific studies.

For example, the respondents generally preferred broadcast seeding over drilling even though both practices have been shown in studies to have similar establishment success. However broadcast seeding offers numerous practical benefits and results in a more natural looking prairie.

Mangers reported that reconstructing prairie from scratch was more effective than adding seed to existing low-diversity prairie. In terms of reconstruction, managers cultivated corn-soybean rotation for 2-3 years to control weeds prior to initiating restoration.

Managers preferred cultivating soybeans versus corn immediately prior to restoration "because soybeans do not leave furrows or residue that may impede broadcasted seed from making soil contact as corn does." They preferred to seed in the dormant season and usually planted with hand collected local seed.

A lack of seed availability was listed as one of the biggest constraints to successful restoration, and therefore Rowe recommends that practitioners should consider establishing seed nurseries for their restoration projects.  

--by Rob Goldstein

Helen I. Rowe (2010). Tricks of the Trade: Techniques and Opinions from 38 Experts in Tallgrass Prairie Restoration Restoration Ecology : 10.1111/j.1526-100X.2010.00663.x