Healthy Grown Farms Prairie Planting Assessment
Asher Eccles (Not Pictured)
Aaron Anderson Forest Management & Ecosystem Restoration and Management
Wildlife Ecology and Management
In 2002, Wisconsin potato and vegetable growers started a partnership program called Wisconsin Healthy Grown Initiative®. In this program growers work with ecologists and University of Wisconsin researchers to restore natural ecosystems on farm properties and manage the growth of crops in an holistic manner. In the process of accomplishing this Healthy Grown members committed plots of land to be restored from ag-use to native prairie due to substantial loss of Wisconsin prairies to age land. An assessment on the success of these planted and restored prairies associated with HealthyGrown has not been carried out. The purpose of this project is to assess the success of the prairie plantings associated with HealhtyGrown. Three farms were selected that possessed records of seed plantings for prairies on specific sites and possessed historical records of being prairie land before the farm was present. A quadrat sampling technique paired with a time meander search was used to gather data on forbs and graminoids across each selected unit of land. To record data steam counts were used on forbs and a percent cover estimate was used on grassmonds to record and assess relative abundance of each species detected. Species originating from the seed bank and not planted in the seed mixes showed far better percent presence than what was planted in the mix. Pointing at historical seed presence being a much stronger restoration tool than seeding efforts. Provided it is combined with the use of integrated pest management utilizing herbicides and prescribed burn techniques.
Advisors: Michael Demchik, Ph.D. Jeb Barzen Luke Trittelwitz
Subject Area: Wildlife
Type: Poster
63
UW-Stevens Point College of Natural Resources
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