Bedrock Controlled Wet Prairies
Scenario model
Current ecosystem state
Select a state
Management practices/drivers
Select a transition or restoration pathway
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Transition T1A
Transition to agriculture; tillage; seeding; continued management
More details -
Transition T1B
Plant community succession in absence of fire or grazing management
More details -
Restoration pathway R3A
Restoration inputs including woody species removal and invasive control
More details -
No transition or restoration pathway between the selected states has been described
Target ecosystem state
Select a state
Description
The Bedrock Controlled Wet Prairies reference state is a wet-tolerant native tallgrass prairie. Even though these sites are on poorly drained soils, plants adapted to these sites must also be tolerant of dry conditions for a portion of the growing season. Community phases within the Reference State are dependent upon the frequency of fire or influence of grazing. The secondary trigger for conversion is grazing.
Today, high-quality, unplowed areas are extremely uncommon. Most remaining natural areas that are managed for tallgrass prairie were once tilled and utilized for agricultural production. It is therefore likely that many of the historic native prairie species are extirpated even from these sites.
Resilience management
Prescribed fire and managed grazing are key resilience management practices. Prescribed grazing incorporates periods of grazing rest during the growing season which benefits tallgrass maintenance.
Submodel
Description
Tillage is the primary mechanism affecting the transition to this state. Hydrological modifications (tiling and ditching) may be installed to improve drainage. Not all areas within this ecological site are suitable for intensive row crop production due to shallow soils (10-20" to bedrock). Undrained areas also have a seasonal high water table with can limit agricultural uses. Tillage alters dynamic soil properties such as bulk density, structure, organic carbon content, and saturated hydraulic conductivity. Most areas in this state will remain in use for crop production in the foreseeable future.
Conservation 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.
A small percentage of this ecological sites have been seeded back to grass. Some previously tilled areas have been converted to warm-season grasslands as part of a NRCS conservation program. Species seeded will depend upon the hydrology of the site and landowners' objectives. Cool-season grasses are also feasible. Species often include reed canarygrass and Kentucky bluegrass. Although cool-season grasslands are not as diverse as warm-season grasslands, they still offer benefits to soil health and wildlife.
Some previously tilled and farmed sites may revert to a woodland through abandonment; however, this is a small percentage of acres within MLRA 103 so is not currently a community in this model.
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
Description
In the absence of a natural fire regime, grazing, or management inputs, this site will transition to a wooded state. Often, other disturbances such as unmanaged grazing, altered hydrology, and invasive species impact these areas. Community composition and characteristics will vary depending on the type, severity, and length of disturbances. Trees on site often include boxelder, green ash, willow, and cottonwood. Reed canarygrass, Kentucky bluegrass, smooth brome, and other non-native cool-season grasses often invade open areas.
Submodel
Mechanism
Transition T1A is the conversion of the reference state to agriculture. The triggers are tillage and intentional plant establishment (crop seeding). Hydrological modifications, such as ditching and tiling, are often also installed.
Not all areas in the Bedrock Controlled Wet Prairies ecological site are suitable for tillage and intensive agriculture. Limiting factors are shallow soils (10-20" to bedrock) and a seasonal high water table.
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.
Some tilled areas may be abandoned and return to woodland, but this is a small percentage of acres and not currently given a community in this model. Most acres converted to agriculture will stay as such for the foreseeable future.
Mechanism
Plant community succession via the lack of natural fire and/or grazing. Brush and trees will increase and plant community structure will begin to move from a prairie to a woodland. Disturbances such as overgrazing and non-native vegetation may influence the plant community composition and structure.
Mechanism
Sites that have not been tilled and still have natural hydrologic functions may be feasible to restore back to a reference community. Soil structure is intact and remnant plant communities may still exist on site.
Previously tilled sites (State 2) may revert to a woodland through abandonment; however, the soil function has been altered through tillage, drainage, and intensive crop production. This site will not be the same ecologically as a true reference site.
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.