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Range Restoration

Range Restoration. Kathleen A. Garland, PhD. How does Rangeland Get Disturbed?. Agriculture: plowing destroys soil structure; crops may deplete nutrients Surface mining: removes soil, disrupting structure and potentially adding toxic materials and destroying microbes

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Range Restoration

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  1. Range Restoration • Kathleen A. Garland, PhD

  2. How does Rangeland Get Disturbed? • Agriculture: plowing destroys soil structure; crops may deplete nutrients • Surface mining: removes soil, disrupting structure and potentially adding toxic materials and destroying microbes • Oil and gas extraction: salinization, compaction • Urbanization: clearing, compaction, paving

  3. Elements of Healthy Rangeland • Healthy soils • Sufficient precipitation • Natural controls: fire or grazers • Ecological diversity: grasses, forbs*, and shrubs • *wildflowers

  4. Each Element provides services • Healthy Soils: have structure, and organic, and inorganic components • growth substrate • nutrients • water absorption and retention • microflora and microfauna

  5. Soil Profile Houston Black: Texas Blackland Prairie Soil

  6. Sufficient Precipitation

  7. Natural Controls • Fire • reduces overgrowth and dead vegetation • may be needed for seeds to germinate • Grazers (bison, deer, rabbits, antelope, etc.) • plants are adapted to grazing and overgrow and die off if not grazed • particularly good for bunch grasses

  8. Burned Prairie

  9. Grazed Bunch Grass

  10. Ecological Diversity • Reduces likelihood of pest and parasite infestations • Provides a variety of cover types and densities • Supports a diverse grazing and sheltering population • Makes the range more resilient to drought and better able to resist erosion

  11. Goals of Range Restoration • Replace or restore soil structure and composition • Provide supplemental water for establishment of new plants • Use control mechanisms on restored range to enhance health • Use a diverse assemblage of native plants to approach natural conditions

  12. Natural Restoration

  13. Mine land Restoration

  14. Restoration of degraded rangeland

  15. Critical Factors for Success are Site-Dependent • Type of disturbance or degradation • Seed sources • Tillage • Supplemental irrigation • Local climate factors • Local pests: voles, gophers, grasshoppers, etc.

  16. Questions?

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