Japanese Knotweed Composting Feasibility Study, Delaware County (New York)
by Laurence Day, Jessica Rall, Susan McIntyre and Charles Terrance
Summary of the 2009 Wisconsin Prescribed Fire Conference
by Dennis Presser and Michael Hansen
Seed Viability in Stockpiled Topsoil on a Surface Mine in Appalachia
by Sarah L. Hall, Christopher D. Barton and Carol C. Baskin
Broomsedge Communities Are Resistant to Invasion by Cogongrass (Florida)
by Pedram Daneshgar and Shibu Jose
The First Use of Biofilm Microbial Community Structure as an Indicator of Impact of Two Dams on the Elwha River (Washington)
by William D. Eaton, Brittany Wilmot, Eric Epler, Sarah Mangiamelli and Dwight Barry
Inoculation and Colonization of Four Saltmarsh Species with Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (Mississippi)
by Melissa Pratt-Zossoungbo and Patrick D. Biber
Brassbuttons: An Introduced Species in a Restored Salt Marsh (Oregon)
by Gisela B. Fritz, Frank J. Shaughnessy and Tim J. Mulligan
Using Prescribed Fire To Protect Flowering Dogwood from Dogwood Anthracnose (Illinois)
by Eric J. Holzmueller, David J. Gibson and Paul F. Suchecki
Stream Restoration Research in the New Outdoor StreamLab (Minnesota)
by Cailin Huyck Orr and Anne F. Lightbody
Assessing Hydrology, Vegetation, and Soil Characteristics of Adirondack Wetlands
by Mei-Yin Wu, Dennis Kalma and Carol Treadwell
At the End of the Line: Restoring Yuma East Wetlands, Arizona
by Fred Phillips and Charles Flynn, with Heidi Kloppel
Aerial view of the Yuma East Wetlands project from above downtown Yuma, Arizona. The agricultural fields and bare ground on the left have recently been cleared of invasive tamarisk trees and prepared for flood irrigation. Areas along the riverbank are a "pilot project" showing more than three years of growth of willow and other restored native plants. Photo by Fred Phillips
Identifying Land Manager Objectives and Alternatives for Mixed-Pine Forest Ecosystem Management and Restoration in Eastern Upper Michigan
by Robyn S. Wilson, David M. Hix, P. Charles Goebel and R. Gregory Corace III
In many regions and across many different types of forest ownership, there is an increasing emphasis on developing a
more holistic approach to forest ecosystem management, one that is more focused on emulating the outcomes of natural
disturbance patterns. However, the complexity involved in such an approach, both ecologically and socioeconomically,
presents many decisionmaking challenges. This study was a first step in a structured decisionmaking approach aimed at
encouraging more informed management choices. The goal was to identify fundamental management objectives and
alternatives for management through open-ended interviews with 13 land managers of mixed-pine forest ecosystems in
eastern Upper Michigan. The results indicate that where mixed-pine forest ecosystem management is concerned (including
management with a restoration emphasis), ecologically motivated objectives such as restoring ecosystem integrity
take precedence over socioeconomically motivated objectives like providing forest products. The reverse is true for fire
management, where socioeconomic objectives like protecting public safety take precedence over ecological objectives.
Despite interest in restoring fire, or using fire as one of many management tools to help emulate natural disturbances,
land managers felt their options were limited by uncertainty about the potential risks to their management objectives.
They also faced difficult trade-offs between achieving short- versus long-term objectives, as well as significant external
barriers such as institutional mandates. These results highlight the need for decision-support tools that will assist managers
in balancing competing objectives and making difficult trade-offs in highly complex decision contexts.
Can Buffelgrass Invasions Be Controlled in the American Southwest? Using Invasion Ecology Theory to Understand Buffelgrass Success
and Develop Comprehensive Restoration and Management
by Jason Stevens and Donald A. Falk
Since being introduced for rangeland improvements in the early to mid-20th century, several non-native grass species
have spread beyond their initial planting sites in the American Southwest. Many of these species, especially those that
have infiltrated desert ecosystems, can alter fire regimes, which in turn threaten native plant species. In Arizona desert
ecosystems, buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare) increases fire frequency and intensity, which may create a positive feedback
loop, resulting in a shift from native fire-sensitive plant communities to non-native grasslands. Although control efforts
are currently underway, a more comprehensive ecosystem approach will be required to treat buffelgrass invasions in
southeastern Arizona's deserts. Here, we evaluate the species and environmental factors that may contribute to plant
invasion success. We highlight empirical buffelgrass literature as it pertains to invasion, integrate basic invasion ecology
theory and restoration ecology to examine potential practical approaches for controlling buffelgrass invasions in southeastern
Arizona, and use this information to provide the basis for comprehensive restoration and management. We also
briefly discuss public policy related to buffelgrass control in the southwestern United States.
Sequential Burning Effects on the Soil Chemistry of a Grassland Restoration in the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain of the United States
by Leslie A. Sherman and Kristofor R. Brye
Prescribed burning is a common management tool used in grassland restorations to improve conditions for plant growth.
At a grassland restoration in Maryland, we studied the impacts of sequential prescribed burning on near-surface soil
chemistry of a highly weathered soil. We hypothesized that soil pH and base cations in the surface soil would increase
in the nutrient-poor soils after the burning from char hydrolysis and that cations would be retained in the surface soil
between the burns. We collected soil cores 12 days and one year after a fall burn and 12 days after a subsequent spring
burn. After the fall burn, we observed that soil pH, extractable cations, and organic matter (OM) were elevated in the
soil profile in comparison to soil conditions before initiation of any burning, suggesting an impact of the dissolution of
char (the mineral-containing carbonaceous residue of burning), increased root productivity since restoration, and leaching
of soluble constituents from aboveground litter in the case of soil K. One year after the second burn, only cations
remained elevated. After the third burn, soil pH, OM, Ca, and Mg were greater in the depths below 10 cm in comparison
to conditions prior to initiation of burning. We conclude that the net change over time in soil pH, extractable cations,
and OM of grassland restorations in the first few years of prescribed burning will depend primarily on the input of new
char, the presence of residual char, and the timing and magnitude of leaching events. As the grassland restoration ages,
belowground productivity will likely contribute more significantly to changes in soil chemistry.
Evaluating Wildlife Response to Coastal Dune Habitat Restoration in San Francisco, California
by Will Russell, Jennifer Shulzitski and Asha Setty
The vast dune system that once dominated the entire western half of the San Francisco peninsula in California has been
reduced to a few fragments that conserve locally threatened plant and animal species. We measured the effects of ongoing
restoration efforts on wildlife abundance and diversity on one of the largest of these fragments, Fort Funston in the
Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Efforts included removal of non-native species, active restoration of native dune
vegetation, and restricted visitor use. We collected data regarding the composition and abundance of vegetation, birds,
and ground-dwelling vertebrates on four treatments including an actively restored area with restricted visitor use, an
unrestored area where visitor use had been restricted for ten years, an unrestored area where visitor use had been restricted
for two years, and an unrestored area with unrestricted visitor use. Results indicated that the diversity and abundance
of wildlife species, as well as the richness and cover of native plant species, were greater in the restored area than in all
other sampled areas. Restricted visitor use alone had only modest positive effects on the abundance and diversity of
wildlife and the richness and cover of native plant species.
Changes in Vegetation Structure through Time in a Restored Tallgrass Prairie Ecosystem and Implications for Avian Diversity and Community
by Brian F.M. Olechnowski, Diane M. Debinski, Pauline Drobney, Karen Viste-Sparkman and William T. Reed
Grassland birds are one of the most endangered taxa in temperate North America. Because many species declines have
been linked to habitat fragmentation and loss, large-scale prairie restoration projects have the potential to provide critical
habitat for these declining species. We examined how the structure of restored grassland habitat changes through time
and how diversity and community composition of grassland birds respond to these changes. Our study was completed at
Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, a large-scale prairie restoration in central Iowa. Vegetation composition and structure
were measured at 42 restored grassland plots throughout the refuge in 2007. Birds were surveyed at these locations from
1994 to 2007. Survey points were sorted into five categories (out of crop rotation for 1, 2, 3, 4-6, and > 6 y). In the initial
phases of restoration, species such as horned larks, red-winged blackbirds, and killdeer were abundant. Other species
such as common yellowthroats and dickcissels were more common in established restored points. Henslow's sparrows
appeared only at survey points that were out of crop rotation for more than 6 years. Diversity peaked in survey points
that were 2-3 years out of crop rotation and points that were more than 6 years out of rotation. Community composition
shifted through the chronosequence of prairie plantings. Changes in diversity and shifts in community composition
can be explained by changes in vegetative structure. Our results suggest that managing for a variety of restored prairie
stages will best maintain the highest levels of avian diversity and abundance.
Precision Prairie Reconstruction (PPR): A Technique for Increasing Native Forb Species Richness in an Established Grass Matrix
by Carolyn E. Grygiel, Jack E. Norland and Mario E. Biondini
Precision Prairie Reconstruction (PPR) is a site-specific application for enhancing native species richness (specifically, native
forbs) in old fields dominated by a few non-native grass species. The method consists of establishing microcommunities
of native grasses and forbs in an existing grass matrix. The microcommunities are created by broadcast seeding simulated
small-scale disturbances (8.06 m2) installed over a percentage of the site. The PPR results were compared with two standard
restoration techniques: herbicide/drill-seeding and rototill/broadcast seeding. A PPR design that disturbed only 25%
of the area resulted in total species richness, native grass frequency, and native forb richness, stability, and density over
the entire plot that were similar to what was found in the conventional rototill/broadcast method and produced better
results than the herbicide/drill-seeding method. The PPR technique involved less cost and less overall disturbance than
traditional herbicide application/drill-seeding or rototill/broadcast seeding methods. PPR offers an alternative approach
for increasing native grass and forb diversity in old fields dominated by a few non-native grass species.
Ecological Restoration of Lantana-Invaded Landscapes in Corbett Tiger Reserve, India
by Suresh Babu, Amit Love and Cherukuri Raghavendra Babu
Chital deer (Axis axis) in the Jhirna restoration plot, Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand, India. Chital deer are an important prey species for the endangered Indochinese tiger (Pantehra tigris corbettii). Restoration within the reserve relied on the control of the invasive plant lantana (Lantana camara) in order to increase browse for the deer and other prey. Photo by Suresh Babu
Lantana (Lantana camara), one of the world's most troublesome invasive weeds, has become a menace in most of the
protected areas located in tropical and subtropical belt of India. The lantana-infested landscapes not only are impoverished
as habitats of wildlife but also contribute to human-wildlife conflicts owing to diminished ecosystem services.
This paper is a case study of successful eradication and restoration of two lantana-invaded sites in Corbett Tiger Reserve,
India. A method for eradicating lantana was developed using knowledge about its ecology, and, subsequently, weedfree
landscapes were restored to productive grasslands and mixed woodlands using native species. The restoration of
these areas to grassland communities has successfully prevented secondary invasions by lantana and other weeds and
has enhanced the habitat quality for herbivores whose populations are vital for the survival of top carnivores such as
tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti).
