Juniper Invasions in Grasslands: Research Needs and Intervention Strategies☆
Section snippets
A Human History of Juniper Encroachment in the Great Plains
Juniper encroachment in the Great Plains can be better understood through the lens of human interaction with grasslands through time. Around 1770, human population shifts occurred concurrently with increased disease rates among American Indians and the decline of bison and other wildlife.20 The Homestead Act of 1872 opened the Great Plains up for rapid colonization and agricultural conversion, accelerated by additional changes in national land use laws.20 Prior to settlement of the Great Plains
Workshop Outcomes and Discussion
The Great Plains Fire Science Exchange developed a workshop to 1) establish the state of ecological knowledge surrounding juniper expansion and encroachment in the Great Plains; and 2) identify research needs and mechanisms for applying the science to encourage change. The workshop was held in conjunction with the Society of Range Management Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida on 12 February 2014. Four presentations recorded during the workshop describing ecological processes affected by
Conclusions
Juniper tree encroachment is occurring in every state in the Great Plains and is responsible for loss of biodiversity and other ecosystem services. As grasslands convert to juniper woodlands, wildfire risk and public health concerns related to pollen loads emerge. Much research has already been done on the ecology of eastern redcedar, but additional priority research needs relate to water usage, soil relationships, and plant community restoration.
The history of juniper encroachment is a
Acknowledgments
We wish to thank the additional members of the discussion group: David Engle, Peter Bauman, Stevie Collins, Gary Llewellyn, and John Ortman, who provided meaningful insights to the workshop. We are grateful to Kansas City Wildlands for sharing their data. Ben Hemingway, Kathie Hanson, and J. Michael Johnson assisted with spatial data and graphics preparation. Mike DeBacker provided needed insight during the revision process. We are also grateful to the editor and an anonymous reviewer for
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Cited by (17)
The impacts of wildfires of different burn severities on vegetation structure across the western United States rangelands
2022, Science of the Total EnvironmentCitation Excerpt :Wildfire sites in Cluster 8 had higher TREE cover than Cluster 9 (10.44 % vs. 1.16 %, respectively), which may be indicative of rangelands where woody plant encroachment has occurred. In the Great Plains, Juniperus species have been encroaching on grasslands and increasing cover at the expense of grasses (Leis et al., 2017; Van Auken, 2007; Van de Water et al., 2003). In the southern Great Plains, mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) has expanded its cover in native grasslands (Ansley et al., 2017; Archer, 1989; Van Auken, 2000) in recent years.
Ecophysio-optical traits of semiarid Nebraska grasslands under different Juniperus virginiana and Pinus ponderosa canopy covers
2021, Ecological IndicatorsCitation Excerpt :Our results indicated that NDVI, CIred edge, and WI were highly correlated (P < 0.05) with investigated physiological and morphological traits (Fv/Fm, chlorophyll content and biomass), suggesting a combination of these indices can be used for the estimation of important functional traits in a time-efficient and non-invasive way (Peng et al., 2017). The tested VIs showed that the open grassland sites had healthier herbaceous vegetation compared to the dense J. virginiana site, demonstrating the negative effects woody species encroachment has on grassland ecosystems and their structure (Leis et al., 2017). Our study is consistent with previously published work of remote sensing techniques being used to successfully complement on-ground assessment of the condition of the herbaceous vegetation in cases of woody species encroachment in different ecosystems (e.g., Briske, 2017; Anchang et al., 2019).
Coerced resilience in fire management
2019, Journal of Environmental ManagementWoody Plant Encroachment Mitigated Differentially by Fire and Herbicide
2018, Rangeland Ecology and ManagementCost of Removing and Assembling Biomass from Rangeland Encroaching Eastern Redcedar Trees for Industrial Use
2017, RangelandsCitation Excerpt :It has been estimated that ERC becomes established on an additional 120,000 Oklahoma hectares (297,000 acres) each year.12 ERC reduces forage production on pasturelands, destroys native ecosystems such as habitat of the lesser prairie chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) and produces allergens that harm human health.8,12–14 ERC has low-hanging branches, and ERC foliage contains volatile oils that can easily be ignited by grass fires.
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This work was supported by the Joint Fire Science Program, Fire Science Exchange Program. The National Park Service Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network also provided support to the Great Plains Fire Science Exchange. Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations, and data in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.