Ecological Restoration (current issue) free content

table of contents, article abstracts, and cover photos

Subscriber? Click here for the full online edition of this and other issues

Volume 26 Number 1 March 2008

Editorial

Learning through Doing by Mrill Ingram

Society for Ecological Restoration International

Survival and Practice by George Gann

Restoration Notes

Viability of Warm-season Grass Seed from Grazed and Ungrazed Prairies (Illinois) by Daniel G. Wenny and Randy W. N˙boer

Artichoke as an Ecological Resource and Its Utility as a Precursor to Restoration (California) by Peter A. Bowler

Raising a Ranch from the Dead: 50 Years of Restoration on the Carrizo Valley Ranch (New Mexico) by Sid Goodloe and Charles Curtin

Restoration of Dryland Forests in Latin America: The ReForLan Project by Adrian Newton

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) for Ecological Research and Natural-resource Monitoring (Florida) by Adam C. Watts, W. Scott Bowman, Amr H. Abd-Elrahman; Ahmed Mohamed, Benjamin E. Wilkinson, John Perry, Youssef O. Kaddoura and Kyuho Lee

Adam Watts of the University of Florida's Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit launches a prototype Unmanned Aircraft System. UAVs can be easily launched in rough or remote areas, disassembled for transportation, and can carry visible-spectrum video, still cameras or thermal-infrared sensors for ecological research applications such as wildlife surveys and water level monitoring. Photo by Larry E. Taylor

Estimating Population Size of Mexican Wolves Noninvasively (Arizona) by C.A. Cariappa, Warren Ballard, Stewart Breck, Antoinette J. Piaggio and Melissa Neubaum

Control of Maidenhair Vine (Muehlenbeckia complexa) (California) by Tania Pollak

An Evaluation of Engaging Volunteers to Restore Bottomland Forest (North Central Texas) by William Forbes, Margaret Forbes, Kevin Stevens, Kenneth L. Dickson and Sonny Solis

Seed Bank Dynamics of Sand Pine Scrub and Longleaf Pine Flatwoods of the Gulf Coastal Plain (Florida) by Andrew D. Ruth, Shibu Jose and Deborah L. Miller

Articles

Understory Species Richness during Restoration of Wet Tropical Forest in Costa Rica by A. Carl Leopold and Jackeline Salazar

A suite of understory rainforest plants blossom in a restored wet tropical forest, where Carl Leopold and colleagues planted rainforest trees a decade ago. Photos by Jackeline Salazar

An effort to restore wet tropical forest in Costa Rica began in 1993 with plantings of native trees in abandoned pasture land. We compare understory plant species richness in three sites planted with a mix of native tree species with understory species in two monoculture plantations and in two secondary growth (unplanted) areas. Understory species in nearby primary forest remnants are also reported for comparison. We identified 356 understory species, ranging from 46 to 134 understory species per plot. Woody species were predominant (50-80%), as were plant species relying on animals for seed dispersal (60-80%). Our data indicate that substantial progress toward understory species richness can be obtained in the first decade of wet tropical forest restoration.

Called to Action: Environmental Restoration by Artists by Lillian Ball
Please click here to see Environmental Restoration by Artists pictures

Assessing the Influence of Drainage Pipe Removal on Wetland Hydrology Restoration: A Case Study by Phillipe Vidon and Andrew P. Smith

In this study, we assessed the restoration of a riparian wetland in a moderately incised glacial till valley of the Midwest where drainage pipes were either removed or disabled in 2000 and 2004. The study determined whether wetland hydrology was restored at the site and whether former drainage pipe locations still influenced wetland hydrology after restoration ended. Water table level measurements in 2004 and 2005 indicate that wetland hydrology has been restored in areas of the riparian zone with poorly drained loamy soil. These areas are characterized by an average water table depth of 10 cm below ground surface (BGS) for approximately six months of the year and a water level above 30 cm BGS for at least 14 consecutive days during the growing season. High-resolution water table measurements during and after precipitation events did not indicate that former drainage pipe locations affect the hydrology of the site either by allowing a quick water table drawdown or by acting as preferential conduits for groundwater during precipitation events. Overall, data indicate that wetland hydrology was restored and that the technique of cutting the drainage pipes into several sections or removing them by hand and compacting the disturbed soil back into place without adding any extra material was an appropriate restoration technique for this site.

Assessing Exotic Plant Distribution, Abundance, and Impact at Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments in Arizona by Theresa M. Crimmins, Melissa S. Mauzy and Sarah E. Studd

Exotic plants are invading federal lands at an estimated rate of 1,862 ha each day, reducing the natural diversity many of these places were set aside to protect. Effective invasive species management must be based on thorough knowledge of these species' locations and distributions, modes and rates of spread, potential and known effects, and control methods. We mapped the location and distribution of 50 exotic plant species in two Arizona national monuments using state-of-the-art GIS and GPS technologies. The Alien Plants Ranking System was used to prioritize species for management and develop an exotic plant management plan for the park units. Other project goals included testing the efficacy of roaming surveys for exotic plant mapping using standards suggested by the North American Weed Management Association and creating a basis for future monitoring of weed populations. Mapping weeds digitally offers many advantages including increased speed and accuracy, enhanced data sharing capabilities, and easy updates, all of which aid in establishing management priorities and providing a baseline for future monitoring efforts.

Fire in the Forest: Public Perceptions of Ecological Restoration in North-central Arizona by David M. Ostergren, Jesse Abrams and Kimberly Lowe

In recent years residents of the intermontane West have experienced a series of expensive and high-profile fire seasons. One result is that the concept of ecological restoration has moved squarely into public view. As scientists and practitioners continue to refine the definition of ecological restoration as a practical matter, citizens are forming their own perceptions of how restoration should be applied to local forests. We used a recent public opinion survey in north-central Arizona to assess public views of restoration. Our findings indicate broad support for restoration although portions of the population, particularly those in rural areas, see restoration primarily as a means to protect human lives and property from fire. Most importantly, our findings suggest that a majority of the public in this region have a view of restoration beyond fire risk reduction, but vary in their willingness to accept dramatic changes to forest conditions.

Evaluating Edaphic Conditions Favoring Reed Canary Grass Invasion in a Restored Native Prairie by Cynthia A. Stiles, Brynn Bemis and Joy B. Zedler

Curtis Prairie, renowned as the world's earliest ecological restoration site, was invaded by reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) after urban stormwater inflows cut a creek and inundated a 2000-m squared floodplain. We evaluated the edaphic conditions directly downstream from a stormwater retention pond to determine if sedimentation, nutrients, or elevated groundwater might have favored growth of this wetland weed. A definite signature of urban stormwater influence on reed canary grass expansion is strongly indicated by enriched nutrients (bioavailable phosphorus, nitrate-nitrogen), salt (sodium), and metals (copper and zinc), each of which was significantly elevated in the invasion area and downstream in a sedge meadow. Sodium could have dispersed clays and reduced the soil's infiltration capacity, thereby impounding water. We evaluated soil and hydrologic conditions in order to develop a conceptual model of the invasion process in Curtis Prairie. We suggest that 1) stormwater outflow from the retention pond initiated erosion; 2) reed canary grass established alongside the eroded creek and expanded vegetatively into the prairie as native plants succumbed to flooding; 3) contaminants were continuously delivered onto the floodplain, degrading soil structure and promoting aggressive growth of reed canary grass; and 4) fine-grained sediments and organic matter were transported downstream to the sedge meadow, possibly contributing to future reed canary grass expansion into this area.

Book Reviews

The Invasive Species Cookbook: Conservation through Gastronomy. J.M. Franke. 2007. Wauwatosa, WI: Bradford Street Press. Paper, $24.95. 111 pages. Reviewed by Daniel Simberloff

Wetland Drainage, Restoration, and Repair. Thomas R. Biebighauser. 2007. Lexington: University of Kentucky. ISBN: 978-0-8131-2447-6. 241 pages. Reviewed by Gary Sullivan

Environmental Values. John O'Neill, Alan Holland and Andrew Light. 2007. New York: Routledge. Paper, $37.95. ISBN: 978-0-415-14509-1. 233 pages. Reviewed by Richard Haynes

Roadside Weed Management. Bonnie L. Harper-Lore, Maggie Johnson and Mark W. Skinner, editors. 2007. U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. Publication Number FHWA-HEP-07-017. 369 pages. Reviewed by Daryl D. Smith