Rangeland Ecology & Management

Get reliable science

GRASSLAND BIRD COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO SERICEA LESPEDEZA CONTROL USING FIRE AND GRAZING.
Author
Ogden, Sarah
Haukos, David A.
Olson, KC
Alexander, Jonathan
Jack, Lemmon
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2016
Body

Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) is an invasive forb that reduces native grass and forb abundance in tall-grass prairie by up to 92%. Owing to its high fecundity, phenology, and high tannin content, traditional management techniques (i.e., herbicide use, prescribed spring fire, and cattle grazing) are of limited utility in controlling the species. Conversely, we have found the use of 1) mid- and late -summer fire and 2) grazing by a combination of steer and sheep to be useful methods for sericea lespedeza control in the Kansas Flint Hills. To evaluate the effects of these methods on tall-grass prairie wildlife communities, we assessed the breeding grassland bird response. We conducted fixed-radius point counts and monitored grassland bird nests to measure grassland bird community composition and estimate reproductive output. Grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum) were more abundant in mid-summer and late summer fire treatment units than in spring fire units as well as in units grazed by steer and sheep compared to units grazed by only steer. Grassland bird species diversity, species richness, density, and reproductive output did not differ between treatments and controls. Our results indicate that summer prescribed fire and additional grazing by sheep will not negatively impact the grassland nesting bird community in the tall-grass prairie and grasshopper sparrow populations may benefit from such treatments.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Corpus Christi, TX