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RESTORATION POTENTIAL OF A HEAVILY GRAZED PRAIRIE REMNANT IN COASTAL LOUISIANA
Author
Reid, Christopher S.
Allain, Larry
Javed, Sairah
Bass, Amity
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2014
Body

Coastal tall-grass prairi­­­e historically occupied 1 million hectares in southwestern Louisiana.  Most of this prairie has been lost to rice cultivation and development.  Several unplowed prairie remnants have recently been discovered on ranches where they are utilized as rangeland.  In the summer of 2013 a field experiment was initiated on a 100 hectare prairie remnant that is unplowed but heavily grazed.  The objective is to determine the restoration potential by applying management practices which are beneficial to prairie and measuring vegetation responses.  Other than the current grazing system, the study site receives little management.  Prescribed fire and mechanical and chemical brush control are irregularly applied.  Woody encroachment by Ilex vomitoria, Myrica cerifera, and the exotic Rosa bracteata is substantial.  The flora is a mixture of conservative prairie species and weedy species which benefit from heavy grazing or soil disturbance.  Currently, Schizachyrium scoparium, typically the dominant grass in coastal prairie, is rare.  Paspalum plicatulum, usually a co-dominant prairie grass and increaser under grazing, is abundant on the site.  Other conspicuous grasses include weedy species such as Andropogon virginicus, A. glomeratus, Axonopus fissifolius, and Sporobolus indicus.  Some conservative prairie species present include Arnoglossum ovatum, Rudbeckia texana, Salvia azurea, and Solidago odora. The site is divided into three units based on habitat similarity, thought to be influenced by management history.  The experiment has three treatments representing different levels of management.  The most extreme treatment combines cattle exclusion, chemical brush control, and prescribed fire.  The moderate treatment involves chemical brush control and prescribed fire.  The control treatment will remain open to grazing but will receive no additional management practices.  These treatments are being applied to 50 by 50 meter plots.  Each treatment is replicated three times within each of the three units of the site.  Baseline vegetation data will be presented and hypotheses discussed.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Orlando, FL
Collection
SRM Annual Meeting Abstracts