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Prairie natives - where do they survive (formerly planting preparation)

I know that this thread has been entirely devoted to reconstructions but my interest has
always been (and limited experience has been for the last three growing seasons) with
restoration of existing remnant vegetation.  On our 640-acre restoration (& future
reconstruction) project at Indiangrass Hills in Iowa County Iowa, there are about 40 acres
of never-cultivated existing remnant and about 40 acres of naturally regenerating
prairie.  Unfortunately, these remnants are in small pieces, scattered across the entire
farm.  All of the prairie remnants are severely degraded by both the former over-grazing
and woody plant invasion.  Nonetheless, we have identified over 200 prairie plant species
of which over 100 have CoC's of 5 or greater in either Illinois or Missouri (Ladd, 1997).
Our farm also has Henslow's Sparrow and Smooth Green Snake (both listed in Iowa).

Yes, the native prairie plants are tough and can survive decades of abuse, but, they are
severely suppressed by domestic pasture and perennial weed grasses in any area where the
soils are of more than marginal fertility.  Furthermore, all native plants have been
virtually eliminated in any fields cultivated more than a few times in the 'herbicide-era'
post World War II.  Nonetheless, some very conservative species have survived or
re-invaded in areas broken and cropped only two or three years for the purpose of being
bid into the CRP program (eg Viola pedatifida, Potentilla arguta, Asclepias hirtella).

Even our very first fire on an area containing remnant (especially never-cultivated) has
produced dramatic changes in the vegetation -- instant "conversions" of our scattered
postage stamp pieces of prairie from seemingly pure domestic grass to seemingly pure
prairie grass with good representations of forbs.

To answer the two questions from my perspective:

Yes, the prairie natives may be there under the domestic grass and woody invaders, but,
they absolutely do need fire to be at all visible (except in the lowest fertility soils).

You only 'see' them in reconstructions because most people are unable to recognize prairie
remnants when they are heavily over-grazed or degraded by woody invasion -- and that is
where prairie remnants are most likely to survive, in marginal agricultural lands devoted
to pasturage.

We should be cautious about how we approach the reconstruction / restoration of land to
prairie.  Please:
- let a tract grow at least one year
- burn it
- let it grow a whole season
- carefully examine every nook and cranny for existing natives
- and only then, destroy existing vegetation to replant to what we think is "prairie."

Of course, if woody plants are major invaders, then the evaluation process is more
complicated.

If any one is interested, I can elaborate on what our farm looked like when we purchased
it, the characteristics of the places where we have remnants, and about our evaluation
process.

Sandy Rhodes

Ed and Gale wrote:

--snip--

> It seems the natives are pretty tough. Why do we only see them where they
> have been re-established by people? Are natives so fire dependant that they
> cannot even exist without it?
>
> Ed Cook
> Southern IL

--snip--

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