The Need for Savanna Restoration in the Cross Timbers
Along the prairie/forest transition zone oak savannas have been severely degraded by logging, clearing for agriculture, fire suppression, invasion of exotic plants, and excessive livestock grazing. Savanna shares equal billing with tallgrass prairie as the most threatened plant community in the Midw...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Oklahoma Native Plant Society
2007-07-01
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| Series: | Oklahoma Native Plant Record |
| Online Access: | http://ojs.library.okstate.edu/osu/index.php/ONPR/article/view/107/94 |
| _version_ | 1818295289034833920 |
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| author | Caleb Stotts Michael W. Palmer Kelly Kindscher |
| author_facet | Caleb Stotts Michael W. Palmer Kelly Kindscher |
| author_sort | Caleb Stotts |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Along the prairie/forest transition zone oak savannas have been severely degraded by logging, clearing for agriculture, fire suppression, invasion of exotic plants, and excessive livestock grazing. Savanna shares equal billing with tallgrass prairie as the most threatened plant community in the Midwest. As such, there is increasing interest in restoring these communities. Conservation criteria have not been developed for the post oak (Querces stellata) and blackjack oak (Querces marilandica) savanna of the Cross Timbers. Oak savanna was arguably an important component of the historical Cross Timbers region. Following settlement, overgrazing in conjunction with a decrease in fire frequency and/or intensity has increased the density of oak stands to the point where they resemble closed-canopy forests rather than savanna. This is a threat to the biodiversity of the Cross Timbers. Proactive land management practices are recommended for restoring savanna communities. Such efforts may require thinning-out areas of degraded oak savanna to help re-establish the herbaceous understory. Fire is recommended to restore ecological processes that limit woody plant encroachment and promote biodiversity. Further research should investigate the ecological dynamics and functions of oak savannas, as well as provide further guidelines for its conservation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T03:45:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5d9f6cd4ef4d41b6b3159cfcad090ebb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1536-7738 1536-7738 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T03:45:12Z |
| publishDate | 2007-07-01 |
| publisher | Oklahoma Native Plant Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Oklahoma Native Plant Record |
| spelling | doaj.art-5d9f6cd4ef4d41b6b3159cfcad090ebb2022-12-22T00:00:51ZengOklahoma Native Plant SocietyOklahoma Native Plant Record1536-77381536-77382007-07-0171789010.22488/okstate.17.100055The Need for Savanna Restoration in the Cross TimbersCaleb Stotts0Michael W. Palmer1Kelly Kindscher2Tall Grass RestorationOklahoma State UniversityUniversity of KansasAlong the prairie/forest transition zone oak savannas have been severely degraded by logging, clearing for agriculture, fire suppression, invasion of exotic plants, and excessive livestock grazing. Savanna shares equal billing with tallgrass prairie as the most threatened plant community in the Midwest. As such, there is increasing interest in restoring these communities. Conservation criteria have not been developed for the post oak (Querces stellata) and blackjack oak (Querces marilandica) savanna of the Cross Timbers. Oak savanna was arguably an important component of the historical Cross Timbers region. Following settlement, overgrazing in conjunction with a decrease in fire frequency and/or intensity has increased the density of oak stands to the point where they resemble closed-canopy forests rather than savanna. This is a threat to the biodiversity of the Cross Timbers. Proactive land management practices are recommended for restoring savanna communities. Such efforts may require thinning-out areas of degraded oak savanna to help re-establish the herbaceous understory. Fire is recommended to restore ecological processes that limit woody plant encroachment and promote biodiversity. Further research should investigate the ecological dynamics and functions of oak savannas, as well as provide further guidelines for its conservation.http://ojs.library.okstate.edu/osu/index.php/ONPR/article/view/107/94 |
| spellingShingle | Caleb Stotts Michael W. Palmer Kelly Kindscher The Need for Savanna Restoration in the Cross Timbers Oklahoma Native Plant Record |
| title | The Need for Savanna Restoration in the Cross Timbers |
| title_full | The Need for Savanna Restoration in the Cross Timbers |
| title_fullStr | The Need for Savanna Restoration in the Cross Timbers |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Need for Savanna Restoration in the Cross Timbers |
| title_short | The Need for Savanna Restoration in the Cross Timbers |
| title_sort | need for savanna restoration in the cross timbers |
| url | http://ojs.library.okstate.edu/osu/index.php/ONPR/article/view/107/94 |
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