Exploring Options to Restore ’s OakOak SavannaSavanna

The word “” generally refers to scattered growing in a landscape dominated by grasses and wildflowers. savanna was once widespread across southern Wisconsin. Today, true oak savanna is rare. One factor in this loss is the elimination of that swept the landscape, suppressing brush while maintaining grasses and fire-resistant . Browsing and grazing by most native herbivores no longer occurs, and our under- standing of their impact on is still developing. But a group of researchers is taking a fresh look at savanna remnants, and exploring whether controlled livestock grazing and burning can help restore oak savanna. Exploring Options to Restore Wisconsin’s Oak Savanna

In the 1800s, oak savanna savanna remnants may be an (or oak openings) once covered efficient way to help clear more than 5,000,000 acres in undesirable shrub species. Wisconsin. Savanna was a The goal of the research transition zone between the project described in this book- eastern and the let is to scientifically investigate to the west. Now, only a few the potential of using Scottish thousand acres of this native Highland cattle in savanna landscape remain, mostly on restoration. The study will private land. examine whether low to mod- Unfortunately, where rem- erate grazing rotations will nants of oak savanna remain, help control woody vegetation invasive plant species have and help or hinder the native replaced the native groundlayer. The study will groundlayer vegeta- also determine the impact of

tion. These these various management Janet L. Hedtcke photo degraded areas strategies on soils, insects and Grazing Scottish Highland cattle. are usually over- small mammals. grown with trees Specifically, the savanna grazing and shrubs. • Compare grazing and fire What is rotational research project will: effects on light levels, litter grazing? An important first • Determine the effectiveness and soil characteristics step in conserving Rotational grazing means of two rotational grazing (organic matter, soil nutri- Wisconsin’s original these native eco- ents and bulk density) that regularly moving livestock among oak savanna (from regimes on reducing shrub systems is removing Curtis, Vegetation of and sapling cover with and appear to be strong factors a series of small pastures. The Wisconsin) brush from degraded without spring burning, and in the growth of oak savanna landowner first divides a pasture oak savanna remnants to restore on restoring native oak understory. their original open vegetative into smaller areas or “paddocks,” savanna vegetation. structure. At present, some • Compare the impact of using portable fencing. One agricultural land managers in • Evaluate the potential for grazing and burning on the paddock is grazed for a time, Southwest Wisconsin are using incorporating degraded oak insects and small mammals of an oak savanna. while the remaining paddocks Scottish Highland cattle in a savanna acreage into pro- rest and recover. Rotating system of rotational grazing ductive rotational pasture • Determine the impact of livestock to different paddocks (see sidebar). The cattle fill a systems on private live- grazing on livestock per- niche market for lean red meat, stock farms. formance and, if possible, allows higher stocking rates and but they are also a hardy breed, shorter grazing periods than • Compare the effects of calculate the economic able to browse and remove grazing continuously on one grazing on vegetation to the potential for incorporating undesirable species such as effects of fire, and the effects degraded oak savanna into pasture. This allows the vegetation prickly ash, multifora rose, wild of grazing in combination productive rotational pas- in each paddock to re-grow before parsnip and box elder. In effect, with fire. ture systems on private the next rotation. grazing Highland cattle in oak

Cover savanna Cover photo by John Harrington, Scottish Highland cow by RathbunPeter farms. 2 3 Exploring Options to Restore Wisconsin’s Oak Savanna

Research areas: The research is being conducted on two private farms and a state wildlife area. • Creag-Is-Daru is owned by Peter and Mary

Rathbun and located in County. Peter Rathbun photo • Prairie Oaks Farm is owned by Ron and Sally Niemann and located in Lafayette County. F • Yellowstone Lake Wildlife Area is managed by the DNR and located 39 in Lafayette County. K F D Experimental methods: 78 Aerial photos courtesy of At the Yellowstone Lake Wildlife the Wisconsin Department Blanchardville of Natural Resources, with F illustrations by Emily Kathol, Area, the site is divided into 5 sets of University of Wisconsin Department of Landscape four 1-acre paddocks. In one paddock Architecture. no grazing or fire occurs. In a second D F N paddock only fire occurs, and in a 78 third only grazing occurs. In the N fourth paddock both fire and grazing are being used. The length and timing G of grazing and rest periods is held constant D among the paddocks. Cattle rotate through the paddocks and then onto adjacent pasture for a brief time, and the cycle then repeats. This results in 4 to 5 rotational cycles over the grazing season.

On the two private lands, researchers have divided each The three treatment sites, site into 5 sets of three 1-acre paddocks. One paddock is shown above over aerial photos are (from top): not grazed. Each of the other two paddocks has a different Creag-Is--Daru, Prairie Oaks Farm, and Yellowstone Lake rotational grazing regime, varying in the length of time the Wildlife Area. paddock is grazed, with a three day grazing rotation in one At left is a detail of the Yellowstone site showing paddock and a one day rotation in the other. where visitors can access this public land.

4 5 Exploring Options to Restore Wisconsin’s Oak Savanna

Baseline data collection for • Estimates of deer browse The research is funded by: 1.Partnership For Wildlife Program (funded through vegetation and insects began versus cattle browse using the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources). in the summer and fall of deer exclosures. Results of baseline 2.University of Wisconsin Consortium Grant Program 2000 (see sidebar). The project vegetation studies in (UW-Madison). • Monitoring of livestock 3.Multi-Agency Land and Water Education Grant treatments (grazing and burn- Program/Environmental Quality Incentives Program dietary intake by examining summer 2000. ing) began in the spring of (Funded through the USDA/Natural Resources cattle forage in the field and Conservation Service, Commodity Credit Corporation). 2001. Final data collection and tissue sampling of browse, Baseline studies provide research- Participants in the research projects represent the statistical analysis will take University of Wisconsin-Extension, the University of pre-grazing and post-grazing ers with an indication of the Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Wisconsin- place in the Fall of Platteville, the Wisconsin Department of Natural vegetation. Evaluation of Resources, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation 2002 and Winter overall state of the plots before cattle performance through Service and private landowners. of 2003. the grazing and controlled burn- body condition scoring and UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-EXTENSION: ing began in the Spring of 2001. If you see people weight gain measurement Peggy Compton (main contact person), Basin Educator Sampling of herbaceous plants for Natural Resources – Grant, Platte, Sugar and in the plots during at the beginning and end of Pecatonica River Basins 608/723-6243 the next year or each grazing season. revealed the presence (at low UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON: two, they are pro- levels) of many prairie grass and By the summer of 2003, John Harrington, Professor, bably engaged in Department of Landscape Architecture 608/263-7301 researchers should have forb species, including little some of the fol- Josh L. Posner, Professor, answers to some of the basic bluestem, Indiangrass, side-oats Department of Agronomy 608/262-0876 lowing research Martha Rosemeyer, Visiting Assistant Professor,

Peter Peter Rathbun photo questions identified at the grama, leadplant, round-headed activities: Department of Agronomy 608/265-9367 Scottish Highland beginning of the project. Can bush clover, purple prairie clover, Janet Hedtcke, Research Associate, calves. • Analysis of vegetation grazing reduce shrub and Department of Agronomy 608/265-2948 bird’s foot violet and rosinweed. composition and structure, sapling growth within degraded Mike Casler, Professor, Department of Agronomy Sampling also revealed a high 608/262-9557 including the presence and savannas? If so, what combina- Devin Biggs, Graduate Assistant, abundance of herbaceous tion of grazing and controlled density and frequency of invasive, Institute for Environmental Studies Emily Kathol, Graduate Assistant, and woody species, shrub burning works best? How do aggressive woody shrub species. Institute for Environmental Studies

cover, shrub and sapling grazing and burning alter UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-PLATTEVILLE: density, and density. herbaceous composition, soil Some of these invasive plants Thomas Hunt, Director of Reclamation, compaction, erosion and School of Agriculture 608/342-1898 • Estimates of aboveground were natives (gray dogwood, certain chemical properties? Marlene Sorenson, In-field research assistant herbaceous biomass, analysis prickly ash, gooseberry) while How do grazing and burning WISCONSIN DEPT. OF NATURAL RESOURCES: of plant nutrients, measure- others were exotics (autumn olive, of degraded oak savanna Bruce Folley, Wildlife Biologist 608/743-4831 ments of litter depth, light compare in forage production honeysuckle). Large, open-grown Gerald Bartelt, Chief of Wildlife and Forestry Research levels, and soil compaction. Section 608/221-6344 and quality? Finally, is rotational oaks were present throughout the Jackie Curry, Wildlife Technician LTE • Identification of insects grazing with Highland cattle a plots, but large numbers of inva- Jason Dremsa and Ben Halverson, Interns, Yellowstone Lake Wildlife Area dwelling in soil and litter. practical technique for restoring sive tree and shrub species were oak savanna? USDA NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE: • Analysis of small mammal growing between and beneath John Pingry, Agronomist 608/276-8732 ext. 249 communities using an array the oaks, filling in the openings LANDOWNER/CATTLE MANAGER of live traps and deeper that are an important part of the pitfall traps. Ron and Sally Niemann, Prairie Oaks Farm, 21690 oak savanna structure. Brush Road, Blanchardville, WI 53516 608/523-4833 Peter and Mary Rathbun, Creag-Is-Daru Farm, 1792 Sandy Rock Road, Hollandale, WI 53544 608/967-2144 6 7 Peter Peter Rathbun photo Exploring Options to Restore Wisconsin’s Oak Savanna

Editorial assistance by Bruce Webendorfer, and layout design/production by Brooke Wentland and Jeffrey Strobel, University of Wisconsin–Extension Environmental Resources Center. Copyright 2001 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.