Sandy Upland Prairies
Scenario model
Current ecosystem state
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Management practices/drivers
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Transition T1A
Transition to agriculture; tillage; seeding; continued management
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No transition or restoration pathway between the selected states has been described
Target ecosystem state
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Description
The Sandy Upland Prairies ecological site reference plant community is a dry sandy prairie that consists of drought-tolerant native grasses and forbs. Community phases within the Reference State are influenced by fire and grazing. Fire is a trigger that promotes continued herbaceous vegetation dominance and removes dense thatch thereby allowing for seedling regeneration. Fire removes plant litter, helps cycle nutrients, and allows light to reach the seedbed. Frequent fire maintains the community in a grassland state, by keeping fire-sensitive woody species from proliferating and gaining dominance. A secondary trigger for maintenance or conversion is grazing. Intensive grazing can reduce the extent of highly palatable species thereby allowing the growth of less desirable plants to increase. Grazing management guidelines vary by site depending on specific site characteristics and management objectives.
High-quality, untilled areas of the Sandy Upland Prairies ecological site are extremely uncommon. Most remaining prairie areas that are managed for tallgrass prairie were once utilized for agricultural production. It is therefore likely that many historically-present, native prairie species are extirpated even from these sites.
Resilience management
Prescribed fire and managed grazing are key resilience management practices. This is a stable plant community when grazing and fire are adequately managed. Prescribed grazing incorporates periods of grazing rest during the growing season which benefits tallgrass maintenance. Excessive grazing can quickly impact the vegetative composition and negatively impact soil stability.
Submodel
Description
Tillage is the primary mechanism to the Tillage State. In this state, dynamic soil properties such as bulk density, structure, organic carbon content, and saturated hydraulic conductivity are altered by agricultural practices. Most areas in this state will remain in use for crop production in the foreseeable future – primarily in an intensive corn and soybean rotation.
Certain practices can mitigate the impacts of traditional agricultural practices on soil health. Conservation tillage minimizes soil disturbance and can improve soil structure and overall soil health. Corn or soybean plantings and a cover crop rotation can build soil structure, improve infiltration rates, reduce runoff and erosion, and protect water quality.
Some areas in this ecological site are not appropriate for intensive crop production due to slope. Where the gradient exceeds 20 percent row crop production is not feasible due to limitations on farm machinery.
A few areas within the Sandy Upland Prairies ecological site have been seeded back to grass. Under conservation programs such as the NRCS Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), previously tilled areas have been converted to warm-season grasslands. Native forbs are commonly included in seed mixes to benefit wildlife and pollinators. Although highly beneficial to wildlife, these sites generally lack the diversity of species in the Reference State.
Depending on the management objectives of the landowner, cool-season grasses are also feasible for some areas within this ecological site. Species selection will depend on the landowner's objectives and site specifics. Although cool-season grasslands are not as species rich or biologically diverse as warm-season grasslands, they still offer various soil health benefits and some ecological benefits for grassland bird species.
Resilience management
Disturbance management and harvest management are resilience management practices. The maintenance of this state requires that the intensity, frequency, duration, and timing of agricultural practices (disturbances) be managed to control or modify vegetation structure.
Submodel
Mechanism
Transition T1A is the conversion of the reference state to agriculture. The triggers are tillage and intentional plant establishment (crop seeding). Resilience management practices include continual agricultural practices such as seeding, fertilizing, and managing invasive plants with herbicides or field cultivation. Hydrological modifications, such as ditching and tiling, may be installed.
Constraints to recovery
Tillage and long-term intensive agricultural production generally preclude a return to State 1. Areas in row crop production may be placed in conservation programs and seeded with warm-season grasses, but will not exhibit the natural species diversity or ecological resiliency of State 1.
Model keys
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The Ecosystem Dynamics Interpretive Tool is an information system framework developed by the USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and New Mexico State University.