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Freese Scale for Grassland Biodiversity Background Summary Dennis Linghor Diane Hargreaves

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Freese Scale for Grassland Biodiversity Background Summary Dennis Linghor Diane Hargreaves Dennis Linghor Diane Hargreaves Background SummaryBackground Teddy Llovet Freese Scale for Grassland Biodiversity Scale for Freese Contents Introduction 2 Prairie Vegetation 3 Herbivory Patterns 4 Fires 5 Streams 6 Temporal Ecological Variability 7 Herbivorous Mammals 9 Fate of Ungultate Production 11 Predators 12 Habitat Contiguity 14 Size of Management Units 15 Summary 17 Appendix: Freese Scale Template 18 should be in place when biodiversity conservation is Introduction the primary goal for the land. The overarching goal of American Prairie Reserve The result is a scale that tracks the effects of different (APR) is to restore and conserve the biodiversity—spe- management decisions on ecological conditions, pro- cies, habitats and ecological processes—that was native viding APR with a tool to assess our progress as we to this region for the past several thousand years. In transition lands from a primary focus on livestock and doing so, we recognize that the prairie ecosystem is a grain production to a focus on biodiversity. highly dynamic place and that species, habitats and ecological processes vary and shift across the land over We want to emphasize that not all commodity produc- time. Thus, our goal is not to restore biodiversity to ers operate at the far end of the continuum away from some predetermined, unchanging condition. Rather, conservation. In fact, most in the APR region are well our goal is to restore the natural ecological conditions aware of many biodiversity values of their land and that are most important for maintaining a fully func- take measures to conserve native prairie and much of tioning, self-sustaining ecosystem endowed with the its wildlife. Moreover, human infrastructure such as diversity of life the region once harbored. As has been power lines and roads are not solely due to commodity the case for millennia, humans will be part of this eco- production needs, but they do impact important eco- system but not in the command-and-control manner logical conditions. We therefore also incorporate these that prevails over most of our lands. concerns where appropriate in the scale. The focus on ecological conditions is not so different The ten ecological conditions are largely based on a pa- from the often-used cinematic metaphor “build it and per (in review for publication) by Curtis Freese, Samuel they will come.” Ecological conditions are like the Fuhlendorf and Kyran Kunkel titled “A Management baseball diamond, equipment and rules of the game. Framework for the Transition from Livestock Produc- Once they are in place, the players (species) and action tion toward Biodiversity Conservation on Great Plains of the game (ecological processes) will return. The Rangelands.” We have also drawn on other sources of score will change over time and different players will information and ideas to tailor the scale to the particu- dominate, just as species populations and ecosystems lar ecological and land management conditions of the fluctuate. This, however, is where the metaphor ends, American Prairie Reserve region. because the ecological game never ends and is endlessly fascinating. In this document, we will introduce each ecological condition with a broad overview. All ten conditions Livestock ranching (mostly cattle) and, to a lesser de- are common to much of the Great Plains as well as gree, dry-land farming (mostly grain) are major land to grassland and savanna ecosystems throughout uses among private, tribal and public landowners in western North America and elsewhere in the world. the region. For this reason, we have focused on how We then zoom in to describe the importance of each these commodity production activities affect ecological ecological condition in the APR region and how conditions and biodiversity. common commodity management practices and other development activities in the region alter that To help guide our actions over time, we have devel- condition. A comment about APR’s management oped a scale that evaluates land management based on response concludes each description. ten ecological conditions that have been most affected by human activities, particularly commodity produc- For the sake of brevity, we do not describe the many im- tion (livestock and grain), on lands in the APR region. portant collaborators involved in research and manage- Each condition is measured on a 7-point scale arranged ment activities on APR owned and leased lands. These along a continuum. At one end is commodity manage- are described elsewhere on our website. ment, which describes activities like grain or cattle pro- duction that are common in the APR region and that have substantially altered ecological conditions. At the other end of the continuum is biodiversity manage- ment, which represents ecological conditions that 2 • Riparian areas along lowland streams often support a 1. Prairie Vegetation diversity of shrubs and trees. • 400 - 500 plant species occur in the region. Common Commodity Management Practices Affecting Native Vegetation in the APR Region •The most extreme commodity management practice North America’s prairies—and grasslands around the is the conversion of native prairie to crop production, world—are characterized by hundreds of species of plants commonly wheat and alfalfa. Portions of the APR region belonging to three major groups: have been converted to crop production and conversion of native prairie to cropland continues. 1. grasses, narrow-leafed plants that grow from the base, including “true” grasses, sedges and •Some areas are furrowed and over-seeded with preferred rushes; forage grasses. In the past, extensive areas were over- 2. forbs, non-woody plants with often broader seeded with non-native crested wheat grass. leaves and showier flowers than grasses have; and 3. woody plants, ranging from shrubs to trees. •Sagebrush is sometimes eliminated or controlled by chaining and other methods to favor the growth of Soil conditions, history of grazing and fire, and many grasses. other factors determine which species of plants grow in any one area. As these conditions change from one side of •Check dams and spreader dikes are often installed in a hill to another, from dry uplands to wet bottom lands, bottom lands to irrigate pastures and hay fields, with and so on, the species of plants also change, resulting in major effects on native vegetation. a rich diversity of plant communities, or habitats. •A concern to commodity producers as well as All plant species are not of equal value as forage for conservationists is the invasion of noxious non-native livestock. Thus, rangeland managers often aim to increase plants such as spotted knapweed. the growth of plant species that are highly nutritious for livestock and suppress those that are not. This results in a more uniform plant cover across the landscape rather APR’s Management Response than the mosaic of plant communities found under Soil and Native plant natural conditions. In turn, there is a decline in the vegetation diversity and diversity of insects, birds and mammals. managed for underlying production processes Three general methods are employed to increase the production of favored forage species: (1) alter soil Restoring native prairie, especially on previously conditions by, for example, furrowing, fertilizing and cultivated land, is one of APR’s most costly and irrigation; (2) remove or suppress undesirable vegetation long-term management tasks. We have begun by mechanical or chemical means; and (3) plant seeds of reseeding native plants on cultivated land and preferred plant species. Crop farming traditionally entails removing check dams to facilitate restoration the total replacement of native plants with generally one of riparian habitats. We also collaborate in species of domestic plant such as wheat or corn. controlling invasive noxious weeds. APR is working with neighbors, partners and scientists Native Vegetation in the APR Region to prioritize restoration efforts. The effect of different grazing pressures on vegetation is also •The rolling uplands of the APR region are dominated being monitored. Prescribed burning effects on by mixed-grass prairie and sagebrush shrub lands. flora are being measured on a recent burn area. Variable soil and moisture conditions result in dozens When possible, we remove non-native planted of plant communities, each characterized by a unique species of shrubs and trees such as Russian olive. combination of grass, forb and/or woody plant species. 3 of different height and density. 2. Herbivory Patterns Livestock production has historically focused on Dennis Lingohr minimizing variation in grazing intensity. Rangeland managers sometimes refer to the idea of “take half, leave half” as a management guideline. By managing livestock to eat half and leave half of the vegetation, a uniform structure of vegetation—not too tall, not too short—is created across the landscape. Whereas nature “manages” to the extremes, traditional rangeland managers “manage to the middle,” another commonly used phrase. The Herbivory, the technical term for animals eating plants result is a declining number of birds, rodents and other (such animals are called herbivores), is one of the most wildlife that depend on habitat extremes. important ecological factors affecting the evolution and biodiversity of Great Plains prairies and of grasslands Natural Herbivory in the APR Region and savannas around the world. Herbivory is usefully divided into two types: “grazing” refers to animals eating •Grazing and browsing by prairie
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