Groundcover Restoration in Forests of the Southeastern United States

Chapter 3: Tailoring Restoration Strategies to Initial Site Conditions(Schinus terebinthifolius). A pine rockland restorationundertaken by the Miami-Dade Natural Areas Management,the Florida Department of Transportation, and FairchildTropical Garden required the chipping of a monocultureof Brazilian pepper, leaving only a sparse canopy of southFlorida slash pine and a mulch layer 10-30 cm deep(Wendelberger et al. 2008). In this study, 68 native speciesrecruited from the seed bank although 5 non-native specieswere also present (Wendelberger et al. 2008). In contrast,mine restoration sites are usually completely devoid ofvegetation and the high degree of soil disturbance precludesthe germination of seed bank species. In some minereclamation sites, topsoil from sites that will be mined isplaced on the disturbed mine sandtailings and overburdento provide propagules for revegetation (Roth, in prep.). Inother sites, sandtailings and overburden are directly seededwith bulk green silage (Pfaff and Gonter 2000; Roncoby2004).Monitoring: The sites are continuously monitored forinvasive species establishment. Herbaceous groundcover is monitored by species using percent coveragein random quadrats. In addition, photopoint data arecollected.EXAMPLE 4. Disney Wilderness Preserverestoration of improved pasture to longleaf pinesandhill habitat (canopy lacking, groundcoverlacking).Goal: Restore longleaf pine sandhill communities onsodgrass pasture landsGroundcover restoration at The Nature Conservancy’s DisneyWilderness Preserve in Kissimmee, FL. Credits: TNC/Chris Matson.Fuels Present: NoInvasives Present: YesRestoration Activities: Invasive control. Herbicideapplication by tractor or helicopter mountedbroadcast sprayers a minimum of twice during thegrowing season. Prescribed fire. All sites are burnedpre-seeding to remove biomass. Prescribed fire isre-initiated 3 years post-seeding but prior to treeand shrub planting. Seeding. The sites are seededwith wiregrass and bulk collected seeds collectedon site with a flail-vac harvester using a grasslander.Hand collected seeds of small smooth-seeded speciessuch as panic grasses (Panicum spp.) and yelloweyedgrasses (Xyris spp.) are seeded by hand withhome-made shaker bottles. Mowing. Sites are mowedthe first year to reduce cover and seeding of earlysuccessionalspecies such as dogfennel. Planting.Longleaf pine trees are planted at 5 trees per acre andupland shrubs at 20 plants per acre after groundcoverspecies are established.| 34 |