“Landscape-Level Long-Term Biological Research and Monitoring Plan for the Crane Trust” #monitoring @CraneTrustNVC @savingcranes

“Landscape-Level Long-Term Biological Research and Monitoring Plan for the Crane Trust”

This monitoring plan was published Nov. 4, 2022. The plan can be accessed for free via the DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln (https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/zeabook/130/).

Description

Our obligation is to make sure we are effectively utilizing science to meet the objectives of the Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust (1981) laid out in its charter “to rehabilitate and preserve a portion of the habitat for Whooping Cranes and other migratory birds in the Big Bend reach of the Platte River between Overton and Chapman (i.e., Central Platte River Valley), Nebraska”. The original declaration is aimed at maintaining “the physical, hydrological, and biological integrity of the Big Bend area as a life-support system for the Whooping Crane and other migratory species that utilize it.” It was clear from the institution’s founding that to accomplish this goal it was necessary to study the effectiveness of land conservation and management actions in providing habitat for Whooping Cranes and other migratory bird species. Quality habitat necessarily comprises all the components that Whooping Cranes and other migratory bird life require to complete their migrations –food and shelter– including nutrient rich diet items such as invertebrates, vascular plants, herpetofauna, fish, and small mammals as well as suitable roosting and foraging locations including wide braided rivers and undisturbed wet meadows (Allen 1952; Steenhof et al. 1988; Geluso 2013; Caven et al. 2019, 2021). Article “A” of the Crane Trust’s (1981) declaration is “to establish a written habitat monitoring plan which can be used to describe change in…[habitat] within the Big Bend of the Platte River…utilized by Sandhill Cranes and Whooping Cranes….” Following initial inventories including avian (Hay and Lingle 1982), vegetation (Kolstad 1981; Nagel 1981), small mammals (Springer 1981), herpetofauna (Jones et al. 1981), insects (Ratcliffe 1981), and fish (Cochar and Jenson 1981), a variety of excellent research has continued at the Crane Trust (https://cranetrust.org/conservation-research/publications/). However, despite the clarity of the Trust’s original declaration, long-term habitat monitoring has not progressed unabated throughout the history of the Crane Trust.

Citation

Caven, Andrew J., Joshua D. Wiese, Bethany L. Ostrom, Kelsey C. King, Jenna M. Malzahn, David M. Baasch, and Brice Krohn. "Landscape-Level Long-Term Biological Research and Monitoring Plan for the Crane Trust." (2022).

Editors Note

This monitoring guide was developed to support a conservation organization's objectives. The Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust protects land in the Big Bend region of the Platte River in Nebraska, including remnant tallgrass prairie. The monitoring guide is extensive and includes chapters relevant to vegetation monitoring as well as other taxa. "The various monitoring/research plans, including the plot layout, vegetation, avian community, small mammal, water level, slough fish, butterfly species of concern, anuran, aerial Sandhill Crane survey, Greater Prairie-chicken lek survey, Whooping Crane behavior, and Western Prairie Fringed Orchid monitoring plans are included below as chapters."

The authors provide a helpful graphic to summarize where the framework falls on a monitoring-research continuum:

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2022 - Four new studies and two reviews relevant to #rxfire and #pollinators in tallgrass prairies

"2022 - Four new studies and two reviews relevant to prescribed fire and pollinators in tallgrass prairies"

Looking back, 2022 was a productive year for new peer-reviewed science on fire and pollinator management.

We shared new science from Manitoba, which assessed factors affecting the endangered Poweshiek skipperling. This study included time since the last burn as a factor, and the species was found in highest abundance at sites burned 4-6 years earlier. "Poweshiek skipperling is at high risk of imminent extirpation, and we recommend that the management regimes be adjusted to plan for a consistent supply of habitat conditions and plant species composition exemplified by our intermediate burn sites" (Dupont-Morozoff, et al).

There is new science from southern Wisconsin that focused on bumble bees. A restrospective study from Minnesota concluded that, in general, bees and butterflies respond differently to burn history, and the authors stressed, "These findings highlight the challenges of designing management plans tailored to wide groups of pollinators and the potential pitfalls of using one group of pollinators as indicators for another" (Leone, et al).

The majority of new pollinator-focused papers we highlighted in 2022 were from grasslands, but we did include the review "Fire and Insect Interactions in North American Forests." The review included 30 publications focused on pollinators, including research conducted across North America as well as in our region's tallgrass prairies, oak savannas, and oak barrens (e.g. research on the endangered Karner blue butterfly). The authors addressed six variables that affect pollinators (and other species) - "...[t]hese include fire severity (low vs. high), fire interval (short vs. long), fire size (small vs. large), vertical spread (ground vs. crown), horizontal spread (patchy vs. continuous), and seasonality (summer/autumn vs. winter/spring)."

Is there new science on fire and pollinators relevant to our region that we missed? Please let us know via @strictlyfiresci on Twitter or email - tpos.firescience (at) gmail.com.

Six pollinator-focused articles from 2022

From Wisconsin

“Within-Year Effects of Prescribed Fire on Bumble Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) and Floral Resources”

This open access article was published in January 2022 in the Journal of Insect Science.
Access the article through the permanent web address (DOI) (https://doi.org/10.1093/jisesa/ieab107)

From Oklahoma (Flint Hills tallgrass prairie)

“The Impact of Fire on Nectar Quality and Quantity for Insect Pollinator Communities”

This article was published April 2022 in the journal The American Midland Naturalist.

Access the article through the permanent web address (DOI) (https://doi.org/10.1674/0003-0031-187.2.268)

From Manitoba (tallgrass prairie)

“An Assessment of Prairie Management Practices for Maintaining Habitat Quality for the Endangered Poweshiek Skipperling Butterfly in Canada”

This article was published in August 2022 in the journal The American Midland Naturalist. Access the article via the permanent web address (DOI) (https://doi.org/10.1674/0003-0031-188.1.74)

Regional review

"The Birds and the Bees: Producing Beef and Conservation Benefits on Working Grasslands"

This open access article was published Aug. 17, 2022, in the journal Agronomy. Access the article through the permanent web address (DOI) (https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12081934)

Review

"Fire and Insect Interactions in North American Forests"

This review article was published Aug. 19, 2022, in Current Forestry Reports. Access the article for free from the USDA Forest Service’s Treesearch database (https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/64856)

From Minnesota (tallgrass prairie)

“Divergent responses of butterflies and bees to burning and grazing management in tallgrass prairies”

This open access article was published Dec. 4, 2022, in the journal Ecology and Evolution. Access the article via the permanent web address (DOI) (https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9532)

“Prescribed burning of endophyte-infected tall fescue plots: Effects on forage production, ergot-like alkaloid concentrations, and botanical composition” @muextension @oakfirescience #grasslands #rxfire

“Prescribed burning of endophyte-infected tall fescue plots: Effects on forage production, ergot-like alkaloid concentrations, and botanical composition”

This article was published online Dec. 9, 2022, in the journal Applied Animal Science. Access the article via the permanent web address (DOI) (https://doi.org/10.15232/aas.2022-02324)

[Editor's note - For those who don't know the context of this research, here is an overview of Kentucky 31 tall fescue and the problems that alkaloids cause in livestock - https://u.osu.edu/beef/2018/02/28/tall-fescue-and-its-endophyte-implications-for-your-farm/]

Abstract

Objective

Our objective was to evaluate the effects of early-spring prescribed fire on forage production and botanical composition in Kentucky 31 tall fescue plots.

Materials and Methods

Treatments were applied in a completely randomized design with 10 plots per treatment. Treatments were (1) no burn (CON), (2) March mowed (MWD), (3) March burn (EBRN, early burn), and (4) April burn (LBRN, late burn). Beginning in May and repeated monthly until October, tall fescue tillers were hand clipped at ground level while walking an “X” pattern. In May of each year, tall fescue seedheads were counted in twelve 0.09-m2 quadrats per plot, and species frequencies were recorded. Species frequency was collected again in October.

Results and Discussion

Tall fescue seedheads were reduced by 72% (P < 0.01) for LBRN. Spring forage accumulation was reduced (P < 0.01) by MWD, EBRN, and LBRN treatments, with EBRN and LBRN having a greater reduction (P = 0.03) than MWD. Nonfescue forage species frequency increased (P ≤ 0.01) in October for LBRN. Ergovaline concentration did not differ (P = 0.57) among treatments but differed (P = 0.01) by month, with a substantial increase in June compared with other months.

Implications and Applications

Early-spring prescribed fire reduced tall fescue seedhead production; however, fire also reduced forage production. Removal of a portion of seedheads from tall fescue plots did not affect ergovaline concentration in plant samples. Thus, future research should evaluate ergot-like alkaloid concentrations in various plant parts from tall fescue subjected to seedhead control measures.

Keywords: beef cattle; ergot-like alkaloids; forages; tall fescue; invasive species; prescribed fire

Citation

Bailey, Eric A., Kevin R. Meng, Derek W. Brake, Xiangwei Du, and Joshua M. Zeltwanger. "Prescribed burning of endophyte-infected tall fescue plots: Effects on forage production, ergot-like alkaloid concentrations, and botanical composition." Applied Animal Science 38, no. 6 (2022): 551-559.

“Divergent responses of butterflies and bees to burning and grazing management in tallgrass prairies” #grassland #rxfire #pollinators @julia_leone @usgs

“Divergent responses of butterflies and bees to burning and grazing management in tallgrass prairies”

This open access article was published Dec. 4, 2022, in the journal Ecology and Evolution. Access the article via the permanent web address (DOI) (https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9532)

Abstract

Butterflies and bees contribute significantly to grassland biodiversity and play important roles as pollinators and herbivores. Grassland conservation and management must be seen through the lens of insect conservation and management if these species are to thrive. In North America, grasslands are a product of climate and natural disturbances such as fire and grazing. These natural disturbances have changed considerably since European colonization and subsequent landscape fragmentation.

The aim of this study was to better understand the impacts of fire and grazing management on butterfly and bee communities in tallgrass prairie, enabling land managers and conservationists to better protect and manage remnant prairie. We examined butterfly and bee abundance, species richness, and diversity in Minnesota tallgrass prairies managed by grazing or fire. In 2016 and 2017, we surveyed butterflies, bees, vegetation, and surrounding land use at 20 remnant prairies (10 burned and 10 grazed) with known management histories.

Butterfly and bee abundance at our study sites were significantly negatively correlated. Butterfly abundance, but not species richness, was higher in burned than grazed prairies, and prairie-associated grass-feeding butterflies were more abundant at sites with higher plant species richness. Bee abundance was unrelated to management type but was higher at sites with sandier soils; bee species richness was positively associated with forb frequency.

These findings highlight the challenges of designing management plans tailored to wide groups of pollinators and the potential pitfalls of using one group of pollinators as indicators for another. They also point to the importance of a mosaic of management practices across the prairie landscape.

Keywords: grassland insect conservation; grassland management; ground-nesting bees; pollinator conservation; prairie butterflies; prescribed fire

Citation

Leone, Julia. B., Nora P. Pennarola, Jennifer L. Larson, Karen Oberhauser, and Diane L. Larson. “Divergent responses of butterflies and bees to burning and grazing management in tallgrass prairies.” Ecology and Evolution, 12, e9532 (2022).

“An Assessment of Prairie Management Practices for Maintaining Habitat Quality for the Endangered Poweshiek Skipperling Butterfly in Canada” #rxfire #pollinators @J_Henault @NCC_CNC

“An Assessment of Prairie Management Practices for Maintaining Habitat Quality for the Endangered Poweshiek Skipperling Butterfly in Canada”

This article was published in August 2022 in the journal The American Midland Naturalist. Access the article via the permanent web address (DOI) (https://doi.org/10.1674/0003-0031-188.1.74)

Abstract

The Poweshiek skipperling (Oarisma poweshiek) was once a common prairie butterfly in central North America, but is now critically endangered in Canada and the United States. The Poweshiek skipperling is confined to the largest remaining tall grass prairie in Canada, which is currently managed using grazing and fire to maintain prairie habitat and prevent forest and shrub encroachment. To support re-introduction, restocking, and recovery of this critically endangered species, it is necessary to understand the habitat conditions preferred by skipperlings. By surveying prairie sites with Poweshiek skipperling across age and treatment categories (1–2 y since burn, 4–6 y since burn, >15 y since burn, and grazing), we identified commonly-used nectar plants and recorded physical variables known to influence plant diversity. We measured soil variables, including macronutrients, compaction, pH, texture, and moisture content, and used multivariate statistics to test for significant differences in site characteristics and plant community across treatments. For each site, we captured plant diversity, abundance, and cover, as well as total plant biomass. We found the oldest burn sites had the fewest skipperlings. Intermediate burn sites and lightly grazed sites contained the most skipperlings. In 95% of nectaring observations, adult skipperlings were feeding on Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), upland white aster (Solidago ptarmicoides), and Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris). Characteristics in the physical components of sites and plant communities did not significantly differ across treatment types for most variables with the exception of the oldest burns, which showed significantly higher levels of soil compaction, live biomass, bare ground, less flowering species during the flight period, less flowering stems, and increased presence of nonnative and invasive species. Poweshiek skipperling is at high risk of imminent extirpation, and we recommend that the management regimes be adjusted to plan for a consistent supply of habitat conditions and plant species composition exemplified by our intermediate burn sites. We suggest fire return intervals of 4–6 y using patch burns in combination with grazing, permitted at times that minimize the impact on immature stages of Poweshiek skipperling. This management is needed to provide suitable habitat conditions to maintain the current population and allow for successful restocking and recovery.

Citation:

Dupont-Morozoff, Jaimée, Richard Westwood, and Justis Henault. "An Assessment of Prairie Management Practices for Maintaining Habitat Quality for the Endangered Poweshiek Skipperling Butterfly in Canada." The American Midland Naturalist 188, no. 1 (2022): 74-101.

“The Impact of Fire on Nectar Quality and Quantity for Insect Pollinator Communities” #rxfire #pollinators #grassland @emilygeest

“The Impact of Fire on Nectar Quality and Quantity for Insect Pollinator Communities”

This article was published April 2022 in the journal The American Midland Naturalist.

Access the article through the permanent web address (DOI) (https://doi.org/10.1674/0003-0031-187.2.268)

Abstract

Grassland insect pollinators have undergone population declines due to habitat loss and degradation. Patch-burning is a management method used to reduce woody plant encroachment and maintain grassland habitats. However, the impacts of fire on the quality and quantity of floral resources (nectar volume, total sugar, and sucrose concentration) available to insect pollinators are understudied. Evaluating how time since last fire and season of fire impact nectar quality and quantity is vital to understanding the overall impact of fire on insect pollinator communities. For this study, 10 flowering forb species (Asclepias viridis, Baptisia alba, Cirsium undulatum, Desmodium canadense, Monarda citriodora, Monarda fistulosa, Oenothera speciosa, Penstemon tubaeflorus, Ruellia humilis, Spiranthes cernua) were selected in The Nature Conservancy's Joseph H. William's Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in an area managed with patch-burning and cattle grazing. Study sites were burned in spring 2018, summer 2018, summer 2019, and spring 2020, with three replicates of each treatment (for 12 total burn units). In each unit, we collected nectar from flowering individuals of each plant species with microcapillary tubes to measure standing crop or the nectar in flowers at any given time that is available to insect pollinators. Total volume of nectar and sucrose concentration were recorded, and total mg of sugar was calculated. Desmodium canadense flowering individuals were only located in units burned the previous spring, whereas P. tubaeflorus flowering individuals were only located in units burned the previous summer. For the eight remaining species, total volume of nectar, total mg of sugar, and sucrose concentration varied with different burn regimens for different species. Cirsium undulatum inflorescences with crab spiders (Thomisidae) had higher volumes of nectar and higher amounts of sugar available. This study highlights how a patch-burn approach with different fire return intervals may benefit insect pollinators at the community level by providing a wide range of nectar qualities and quantities to support insect pollinators with different nutritional needs.

Citation

Geest, Emily A., and Kristen A. Baum. "The Impact of Fire on Nectar Quality and Quantity for Insect Pollinator Communities." The American Midland Naturalist 187, no. 2 (2022): 268-278.

“Effects of patch-burn grazing and rotational grazing on grassland bird abundance, species richness, and diversity in native grassland pastures of the Midsouth” USA #rxfire #grassland #birds

“Effects of patch-burn grazing and rotational grazing on grassland bird abundance, species richness, and diversity in native grassland pastures of the Midsouth USA”

This article was published February 2022 in the journal Agriculture, Ecosystems, and the Environment. Access the article through the permanent web address (DOI) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2021.107710

Abstract

Declines in native warm season grasslands have been linked to grassland bird population decline due to habitat loss including conversion to non-native grasses. Rotational grazing (ROT) and patch-burn grazing (PBG) are two possible tools to restore native warm-season grasses (NWSG) on working-lands in the Mid-South USA and thus aid in the recovery of grassland bird populations. This project compares ROT, PBG, and before treatment implementation to assess their effects on grassland-associated bird species. At three research sites between KY and TN, 14–10 ha NWSG pastures were established and randomly assigned 7 pastures each to ROT and PBG treatment and monitored avian relative abundance during the breeding season from 2014 to 2017. Avian call count data and vegetation characteristics were collected in 2014 and treated as a before treatment year. Following 2014, ROT and PBG treatments were implemented across each respective research site. We used the open N-mixture model framework to estimate avian relative abundance related to year, treatments, research site, and landscape and within-field variables. Avian species richness and diversity were calculated for each treatment, research site, and year. Landscape variables, within-field variables, and research sites exerted more influence on relative abundance than ROT or PBG. Grassland-associated bird species relative abundance and species richness/diversity were affected by habitat disturbances (both ROT and PBG) but varied by species and site. Field sparrows [Spizella pusilla] had the highest increase in relative abundance (9.68 ± 1.24 birds/point count location or 1.77 ha) while northern cardinals [Cardinalis cardinalis] exhibited a significant decrease in relative abundance (3.44 ± 1.54 birds/point count location) following treatment implementation on specific research sites. Species diversity and richness did not differ between ROT and PBG treatments. However, a site and year difference were observed for both estimates. Using ROT and/or PBG to create habitat disturbances can alter within-field variables (i.e., vegetation height) which, taken into context with landscape variables, could impact grassland bird populations and diversity depending on grassland bird species habitat requirements. Our research provided the baseline information for ROT and PBG impacts on grassland birds in the east/southeastern USA. However, we believe future research should focus on breeding and annual fecundity to better understand how populations will change over time and how working lands conservation might aid this conservation effort without a reduction in livestock productivity.

Keywords: Patch-burn grazing; Rotational grazing; Grassland; Birds; Conservation; Prescribed burning; Native warm-season grasses

Citation

Lituma, Christopher M., Byron R. Buckley, Patrick D. Keyser, Elizabeth Holcomb, Ray Smith, John Morgan, and Roger D. Applegate. "Effects of patch-burn grazing and rotational grazing on grassland bird abundance, species richness, and diversity in native grassland pastures of the Midsouth USA." Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 324 (2022): 107710.

“Silvicultural options for open forest management in eastern North America” #rxfire #oak @usfs_nrs @usfs_rmrs

“Silvicultural options for open forest management in eastern North America”

This article was published October 15, 2020 in the journal Forest Ecology and Management.

The complete article can be accessed for free through the US Forest Service Treesearch database - https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/60466.

Highlights

•Open forests differ from closed forests, and should be managed differently.
•Open forest silviculture focuses more on groundflora management than trees.
•Most traditional silvicultural tools can be used to manage open forests.
•Open forest silviculture is not intended to optimize yield or tree recruitment.

Abstract

Fire-sustained open oak and pine forests were once widespread across eastern North America, but are now comparatively scarce. To regain the goods and services of these open forests, managers are increasingly looking to restore them with the silvicultural systems and tools best suited to meet their objectives. Hence, we synthesized a number of research efforts and case studies from open pine, mixedwood, and oak-dominated forests in eastern North America to demonstrate the silvicultural options available and recognized knowledge gaps. The silvicultural treatment options and tools available are very similar to those applied in closed-canopy forests, even if the objectives are fundamentally different. For instance, while conventional practices in naturally regenerated forests concentrate on managing closed tree canopies to increase periodic yields and encourage new tree recruitment, open forest silviculture focuses on the maintenance of a vertically simple and understocked canopy to facilitate a robust herbaceous groundflora and limit woody plant regeneration. To achieve and sustain this understocked condition, open forest management applies multiple tools (e.g., prescribed fire, periodic harvests or deadenings, and herbicide use and planting if and when needed) along with other understory enhancement and maintenance treatments. This review demonstrates that while we have learned much about open forest silviculture over the decades, many information gaps and challenges for managers remain.

Keywords: Southern pine; Prescribed fire; Ground flora; Oak; Timber management; Restoration; Wildlife management

Citation

Bragg, Don C., Brice B. Hanberry, Todd F. Hutchinson, Steven B. Jack, and John M. Kabrick. "Silvicultural options for open forest management in eastern North America." Forest Ecology and Management 474 (2020): 118383.

“Fire in Eastern Oaks – A Primer” #oak #rxfire @oakfirescience @usfs_nrs @dendroguy

“Fire in Eastern Oaks – A Primer”

This General Technical Review was published in June 2022. This publication can be accessed for free through the USDA Treesearch database (https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/64520)

Abstract

This publication provides an introduction to the concepts that are important to understanding fire in the ecology and management of oak forests in the eastern United States. Fire historically was common in eastern oak forests and woodlands but perceptions of fire changed and suppression became the norm. Research has demonstrated how fire-maintained woodlands and savannas are occupied by plant and wildlife species that require more open conditions than that in closed-canopy forests. Fire is essential to maintaining oak forests. In addition to favoring oaks, fire creates an environment that allows regeneration of other tree species and stimulates germination of a diverse assemblage of herbaceous plants in the understory.

Keywords: prescribed fire; oak management; wildfire; forest community

Citation

Stambaugh, Michael C.; Dey, Daniel C.; Marschall, Joseph M.; Harper, Craig A. 2022. Fire in eastern oak forests - a primer. NRS-INF-39-22. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 15 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/NRS-INF-39-22.

Pre-print “Intentions of Landowners in South-central USA towards Active Management of Ecosystem for Deer Habitat Management”

“Intentions of Landowners in South-central USA towards Active Management of Ecosystem for Deer Habitat Management”

This pre-print was submitted to the journal Environmental Management in October 2022. Access the pre-print through the permanent web address (DOI) (https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2170264/v1)

Abstract

Active management such as prescribed fire and thinning can restore the savanna and prairie ecosystem to maintain a full suite of ecosystem services and creates a suitable habitat for wildlife such as white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Active management, however, comes with the cost of management and acceptance of management tools. The south-central transitional ecoregion is increasing in woody plant dominance due to the exclusion of fire and other anthropogenic factors which otherwise was a mixture of forest, savanna, and tallgrass prairie. Deer hunting is a vital source of revenue generation to offset the landowner’s management cost in the region. We studied Oklahoma landowners’ perceptions regarding active and sustainable management of forest and rangeland for deer habitat using two established theories of reasoned action and planned behavior as well as expanded theories adding moral norms. We analyzed mailed survey data using structural equation modeling. We found that subjective norms and perceived behavior control significantly affected deer hunting intention when moral norms were introduced into the model. Attitudes independently significantly affected intentions of deer hunting but have negative relations with the intentions. The study suggested that landowners have positive social pressure and were interested in active management but associated financial burden and risk could be shaping negative attitudes.

Keywords: Theory of Planned Behavior; Theory of Reasoned Action; Moral Norms; Prescribed Fire; White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)