Southern Blackland
Scenario model
Current ecosystem state
Select a state
Management practices/drivers
Select a transition or restoration pathway
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Transition T1A
No fire, no brush management, improper grazing management, drought
More details -
Transition T1B
Brush management, crop cultivation, pasture planting, nutrient management, pest management
More details -
Restoration pathway R2A
Fire, brush management, proper grazing, range planting
More details -
Transition T2A
Brush management, crop cultivation, pasture planting, nutrient management, pest management
More details -
Restoration pathway R3A
Fire, brush management, proper grazing, range planting
More details -
Transition T3A
No fire, no brush management, heavy continuous grazing, no pest management
More details -
No transition or restoration pathway between the selected states has been described
Target ecosystem state
Select a state
Description
Two communities exist in the Grassland State: the 1.1 Tallgrass Prairie Community and the 1.2 Midgrass Plant Community. Community 1.1 is characterized by tallgrasses dominating the understory and comprising greater than 50 percent of the annual production. Woody species cover less than 10 percent of the area. Community 1.2 is characterized by greater than 50 percent annual production from grasses, but the woody species cover is 10 to 35 percent, with some species attaining heights of three feet.
Submodel
Description
The Shrubland State has three communities: 2.1 Mixed-Grass/Mixed-Brush Community, 2.2 Mixed-Brush Community, and 2.3 Woodland Community. The 2.1 community has a woody species overstory canopy of 35 to 50 percent, the 2.2 community over 50 percent, and the 2.3 community has a closed canopy. As tree and brush canopy increases, the herbaceous understory production decreases due to lack of light availability.
Submodel
Description
Two communities exist in the Converted State: 3.1 Converted Land Community and the 3.2 Go-Back Land Community. The 3.1 Community is characterized by agricultural production. The site may be planted to improved pasture for hay or grazing. The site may otherwise be planted to row crops. The 3.2 community represents an agricultural state that has not been managed. The land is colonized by first successional species.
Submodel
Mechanism
Shrubs make up a portion of the plant community in the Grassland State, hence woody propagules are present. The Grassland State is not resistant to shrub dominance in the absence of fire. The mean fire return interval in the Grassland State is two to five years. Even with proper grazing and favorable climate conditions, lack of fire or brush control for 10 to 15 years will allow woody species to increase in canopy to reach the 35 percent threshold level. Improper grazing management, prolonged drought, and a warming climate will provide disturbance conditions which will accelerate this process. This transition can occur from any of the Grassland State Communities.
The driver for Transition T1A is lack of fire and/or brush control. The Grassland State is always at risk for this transition because woody species are present in the grassland plant community. Introduction of aggressive woody invader species (i.e. juniper) increases the risk that this state transition will occur and accelerates the rate at which it is likely to occur.
Mechanism
The transition to the Converted State from the Grassland State occurs when the prairie is plowed for planting to cropland or hayland. The threshold for this transition is the plowing of the prairie soil and removal of the prairie plant community. The Converted State includes cropland, tame pasture, and go-back land. The site is considered go-back land during the period between cessation of active cropping, fertilization, and weed control and the return to States 1 or 2. Agronomic practices are used to convert rangeland to the Converted State and to make changes between the communities in the Converted State. The driver for these transitions is management’s decision to farm the site.
Mechanism
Restoration of the Shrubland State to the Grassland State requires substantial energy input. Mechanical or herbicidal brush control treatments can be used to remove woody species. A long-term prescribed fire program may sufficiently reduce brush density to a level below the threshold of the Grassland State, particularly if the woody component is dominated by species that are not re-sprouters following top removal. However, fire may not be sufficient to remove mature trees. A mixed program consisting of mechanical, chemical, and fire measures may be used. Brush control in combination with prescribed fire, proper grazing management, and favorable growing conditions may be the most economical means of creating and maintaining the desired plant community. Proper grazing management will be required to promote recovery of the understory towards a tallgrass community. If remnant populations of tallgrasses, midgrasses, and desirable forbs are not present at sufficient levels, range planting will be necessary to restore the grassland plant community. Depending on the understory community and inputs of seed, the restoration pathway can result in return to any of the Grassland State Communities. The driver for Restoration Pathway R2A is fire and/or brush control combined with restoration of the herbaceous community and proper grazing management. Restoration may require aggressive treatment of invader species.
Mechanism
The transition to the Converted State from the Shrubland State (T2A) occurs when the prairie is plowed for planting to cropland or hayland. The size and density of brush in the Shrubland State will require heavy equipment and energy-intensive practices (e.g. rootplowing, raking, rollerchopping, or heavy disking) to prepare a seedbed. The threshold for this transition is the plowing of the prairie soil and removal of the prairie plant community. The Converted State includes cropland, tame pasture, and go-back land. The site is considered “go-back land” during the period between cessation of active cropping, fertilization, and weed control and the return to the “native” states. Agronomic practices are used to convert rangeland to the Converted State and to make changes between the communities in the Converted State. The driver for these transitions is management’s decision to farm the site.
Mechanism
Restoration from the Converted State can occur in the short-term through active restoration or over the long-term due to cessation of agronomic practices. Cropland and tame pasture require repeated and continual inputs of fertilizer and weed control to maintain the Converted State. If the soil chemistry and structure have not been overly disturbed (which is most likely to occur with tame pasture) the site can be restored to the Grassland State. Heavily disturbed soils are more likely to return to the Shrubland State. Without continued disturbance from agriculture the site can eventually return to either the Grassland or Shrubland State. The level of disturbance while in the converted state determines whether the site restoration pathway is likely to be R3A (a return to the Grassland State) or T3A (a return to the Shrubland State).
Return to native prairie communities in the Grassland State is more likely to be successful if soil chemistry and structure are not heavily disturbed. Preservation of favorable soil microbes increases the likelihood of a return to reference conditions. Converted sites can be returned to the Grassland State through active restoration, including seedbed preparation and seeding of native grass and forb species. Protocols and plant materials for restoring prairie communities are a developing part of restoration science. The driver for both of these restoration pathways is the cessation of agricultural disturbances.
Mechanism
Transition to the Shrubland State (2) occurs with the cessation of agronomic practices. The site will move from the Abandoned Land Community when woody species begin to invade. After shrubs and trees have established over 35 percent, and reached a height greater than three feet, the threshold has been crossed. The driver for the change is lack of agronomic inputs, improper grazing, no brush management, and no fire.
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