62 research outputs found
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Restoration Manual for Annual Grassland Systems in California
Widespread development and massive degradation are quickly eroding the persistence and health of annual grassland systems. This guide was developed to give practitioners of any experience level an overview of considerations for grassland restoration design and application that will be right for their situation.
Here you’ll find ways to effectively improve grassland conditions in monetarily and logistically feasible ways. This publication focuses on restoration species choice, because species identity can be the dominant driver of achieving a restoration goal—included is an extensive appendix matching geographic area and soil type to appropriate species for consideration.
The techniques presented are the result of years of experience from research scientists and non-academic practitioners and synthesizes published and unpublished data in one handy source.
Sections include:
Identifying Restoration Goals and Desired Outcomes:
Biodiversity
Pollinator Habitat
Wildlife Habitat
Erosion Control
Forage for Grazing Animals
Carbon Storage/Nutrient Cycling
Pre-Vegetation Techniques
Plant Materials
Revegetation Techniques
Discussion of 83 species with brief description of pros and cons
Extensive reference
Recommended from our members
The use of strip-seeding for management of two late-season invasive plants
The spread and persistence of weedy plants in rangelands highlight the need for refinement of existing management techniques and development of novel strategies to address invasions. Strip-seeding - the strategic seeding of a portion of an invaded area to reduce costs and enhance success - is an underutilized management approach that holds promise for reducing weed dominance in grassland habitats. A strip-seeding experiment was established in 2011 in a California grassland where portions (between 0-100%) of invaded plots were seeded with native grasses. In 2016, we assessed the height, above-ground biomass and flower production of two late-season invasive plants: field bindweed and prickly lettuce. We found significant reductions in plant height and flower production (for both target invasives), and biomass (for field bindweed) in many of the seeded strips compared to the unseeded strips. Smaller seed applications demonstrated similar or better utility for weed control compared to greater seed applications, suggesting that this approach can be effective while reducing labor and materials cost of typical restoration management approaches. We did not find evidence that seeded strips provided invasion resistance to unseeded strips. This is possibly due to the lag in native species dispersal and establishment into contiguous unseeded strips, and suggests that strip-seeding might not provide invasion resistance to unseeded strips on timescales that are relevant to managers. However, this work does suggest that strip-seeding native species that overlap in phenology with target invasives can reduce late-season weed dominance on rangelands.USDA-NIFA, Rangeland Research Program [CA-D-PLS-2119-CG]; Universidade de Sao Paulo, BrazilOpen access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]
Forage seeding in rangelands increases production and prevents weed invasion
Increasing forage productivity in the Sierra foothill rangelands would help sustain the livestock industry as land availability shrinks and lease rates rise, but hardly any studies have been done on forage selections. From 2009 to 2014, in one of the first long-term and replicated studies of seeding Northern California's Mediterranean annual rangeland, we compared the cover of 22 diverse forages to determine their establishment and survivability over time. Among the annual herbs, forage brassica (Brassica napus L.) and chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) proved viable options. Among the annual grasses, soft brome (Bromus hordeaceus) and annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) performed well. However, these species will likely require frequent reseeding to maintain dominance. Long-term goals of sustained dominant cover (> 3 years) are best achieved with perennial grasses. Perennial grasses that persisted with greater than 50% cover were Berber orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata), Flecha tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum) and several varieties of hardinggrass (Phalaris aquatica L., Perla koleagrass, Holdfast, Advanced AT). In 2014, these successful perennials produced over three times more dry matter (pounds per acre) than the unseeded control and also suppressed annual grasses and yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis L.) cover
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Estrategias para la jardinerÃa y la restauración con pelotas de semillas en paisajes áridos
Las pelotas de semillas (también conocidas como bolas de semillas o bombas de semillas) son estructuras tÃpicamente hechas de arcilla, abono, agua y semillas (pero pueden incluir gran variedad de ingredientes como tierra, polvo de rocas, arena para gatos, granos de café, pimienta de cayena, arena, humus de lombriz y hongos micorrÃcicos). Estas estructuras pueden mitigar las condiciones que contribuyen a la mala restauración de las tierras áridas (Madsen et al. 2016), incluida la sequedad que exacerba el estrés por desecación de las semillas, y crea capas de tierra seca que limitan el crecimiento de las plántulas, asà como la pérdida de semillas por depredación (tÃpicamente por roedores y hormigas). Las pelotas de semillas también sirven para mejorar el contacto de las semillas con el suelo y reducir la redistribución de las semillas por el viento. En teorÃa, las semillas están protegidas por la estructura hasta que la lluvia elimina la arcilla que las envuelve y una pequeña bolsa de nutrientes con abono de la bola de semillas nutre a las plántulas a medida que emergen. Las pelotas de semillas son baratas y fáciles de hacer y pueden mejorar la germinación de las especies sembradas
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Ecological Restoration Activity Book
The Society of Ecological Restoration defines restoration as the process in assisting in the recovery of a habitat that has been degraded or destroyed. Essentially, ecological restoration means fixing up the environment. Restoration can: enhance plant cover, provide habitats to wild animals, make habitants more resilient to climate change, and more! Get involved in helping out the environment where you can by caring for native plants and animals, picking up litter and saving water. This activity book was made with love by the Gornish Lab at the University of Arizona for kids of all ages
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Seed ball strategies for gardening and restoration in arid landscapes
To overcome challenges associated with gardening and restoration in arid landscapes, many techniques have been developed, including the strategic placement of irrigation lines, the application of mulch, and the improved selection of plant species and varieties. One technique that shows particular promise across both research and practitioner groups is the use and deployment of seed balls. Seed balls (also referred to as ‘seed pellets’ or ‘seed bombs’) are structures typically made of clay, compost, water and seed (but can include a huge range of ingredients including soil, rock dust, cat litter, coffee grounds, cayenne pepper, sand, worm castings and mycorrhizal fungi). These structures can ameliorate conditions that contribute to failure in arid land restoration (Madsen et al. 2016), including dry conditions that exacerbate seed desiccation stress and create soil crusts that limit seedling establishment, as well as seed loss via predation (typically by rodents and ants). Seed balls also serve to enhance seed to soil contact and reduce seed redistribution by wind. In theory, seeds are protected in the structure until adequate rainfall removes the surrounding clay and a small pocket of nutrients from the compost component of the seed ball nourishes the seedlings as they emerge. Seed balls are cheap and easy to make and can enhance germination of seeded species (Pedrini et al. 2017)
Recommended from our members
Restoration Manual for Annual Grassland Systems in California
Widespread development and massive degradation are quickly eroding the persistence and health of annual grassland systems. This guide was developed to give practitioners of any experience level an overview of considerations for grassland restoration design and application that will be right for their situation.
Here you’ll find ways to effectively improve grassland conditions in monetarily and logistically feasible ways. This publication focuses on restoration species choice, because species identity can be the dominant driver of achieving a restoration goal—included is an extensive appendix matching geographic area and soil type to appropriate species for consideration.
The techniques presented are the result of years of experience from research scientists and non-academic practitioners and synthesizes published and unpublished data in one handy source.
Sections include:
Identifying Restoration Goals and Desired Outcomes:
Biodiversity
Pollinator Habitat
Wildlife Habitat
Erosion Control
Forage for Grazing Animals
Carbon Storage/Nutrient Cycling
Pre-Vegetation Techniques
Plant Materials
Revegetation Techniques
Discussion of 83 species with brief description of pros and cons
Extensive reference
Recommended from our members
Identifying Restoration Opportunities under Mesquite Canopies
Climate change, drought, human development, overgrazing, and encroachment of invasive species all threaten grasslands in southeastern Arizona and northern Mexico. These threats are leading to loss of biodiversity and degradation of these ecosystems. Native bunch grasses are especially valued for their role in reducing erosion and providing forage for wild and domestic rangeland herbivores. Mesquite (Prosopis spp.) and Lehmann lovegrass (Eragrostis lehmanniana) compete with native grasses for space and water resources, which further expedites loss of native grasses in these historical grasslands (Gornish et al. 2021)
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