Restoration of Dry Prairie Using Fire and Roller Chopping
نویسندگان
چکیده
Florida’s dry prairies are rare and threatened due to suppression of natural fire regimes in these fire-dependent ecosystems. Ecological restoration of dry prairies reduces the growth of shrubs resulting from lack of fire, while encouraging the growth of grasses and forbs. In addition to prescribed burning, these efforts often use mechanical disturbance such as roller-chopping. In this study we investigated effects of three restoration treatments—roller chopping, prescribed burning, and a combination of the two—applied in either summer or winter, on dry prairie vegetation at Myakka River State Park. After 12 to 13 years of restoration treatments (3 choppings and 5 burns) we used floristic density and similarity analysis to compare areas under restoration with high-quality reference sites. Findings indicate that long-unburned dry prairies cannot be effectively restored by the use of roller chopping alone. Chopping was not an effective substitute for prescribed burning in reducing shrubs and encouraging growth of grasses and forbs. Effects of season of treatment on restoration effectiveness were mixed, but it appears that prescribed burning alone is not as effective as a combination of
منابع مشابه
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Shrub encroachment has become a problem inmany rangeland systems across the United States due to a reduction in the disturbances, primarily fire, which historically maintained them. The shrub saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) has become abundant in many habitats of the southeastern Coastal Plain, including Florida. When fire regimes are altered or fires are suppressed, this species can proliferate ...
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