The greatest threat to agriculture and conservation in the Great Plains is the increase in woody plants such as Ashe juniper and Eastern redcedar on grasslands. This invasion can completely alter grassland landscapes, limiting agricultural productivity and contributing to the dramatic decline in grassland biodiversity. Depending on the region, other ecosystem services such as carbon storage and water cycling can be greatly altered. These vegetation dynamics have been associated with non-linear dynamics and thresholds that can limit management options and these patterns are just beginning to be quantified. I will discuss rates and patterns of the invasion on diverse rangelands and solutions to this threat that can integrate grazing, fire and grassland conservation.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.