r/Restoration_Ecology

NACCR - attending from UK. What can I expect?

Hi, I'm a long-term lurker because I'm based in the UK. I'm going to be attending the North American Congress on Conservation and Restoration in Milwaukee from the 12th July. As I'm used to UK conferences, I'm just wondering if people have attended before and what to expect?

Anything is useful. But how many delegates usually, is it sociable and open to network or more stuffy academic types? I've also never been to the U.S. either so it's a double whammy. It will be funny if I'm over and England actually do well in the World Cup... But that's another matter and I'm not that into "footy".

Can't wait to see if anyone has anything to say, but just as a warning it's midnight here so I'll be checking in when it's morning!

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u/eco_kipple — 2 days ago

▲ 32 r/Restoration_Ecology+2 crossposts

A simple trick for boosting prairie diversity

Restoring native grasslands offers major benefits for biodiversity and ecosystem services, yet managers face a persistent challenge: How to maintain balance among many coexisting plant species when a few aggressive ones tend to take over.

In tallgrass prairie restorations in Minnesota, experimental plots with seed mixes that included or excluded two dominant species, big bluestem and Indian grass, were established and tracked over 13 years. Researchers found that plots without these dominant grasses supported a richer mix of plants than those where they were present from the start. In addition to greater plant diversity, exclusion plots showed distinct physical conditions, with more light reaching the ground, smaller root systems and lower soil carbon and moisture levels. These differences persisted even after big bluestem or Indian grass eventually colonized the plots, suggesting that simply delaying their establishment can have long-lasting effects on community structure and ecosystem processes.

The results point to a key tradeoff in restoration: While dominant species play important functional roles, their early presence can crowd out diversity. Deliberately excluding them during initial planting may therefore offer a simple, low-cost way to promote more diverse and balanced prairie ecosystems over the long term.

Read the article in Ecosphere.

Image credit: National Park Service/John Eicher

u/ecologicalsociety — 4 days ago

▲ 12 r/Restoration_Ecology+1 crossposts

Watering field sites issue. How do y’all do it and please fix my problem

Botanist who works for land management in Mojave desert, so my outplantings need to be supplementally watered. Carrying buckets or using a backpack is far too laborious.
We have a water buffalo with a broken pump. The problem with just fixing the pump is that it becomes a pressure washer, and blows the poor plants to high hell if I try to use it as is.
I can’t figure out a way to lower the pressure enough to be suitable for plants (it used to work, but changing to thicker hoses didnt sufficiently reduce psi).
Maybe a transfer pump? Whole new buffalo?
What do y’all use to water your large restoration sites? Front country, so road access is no issue. Thanks!

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u/Ultra_VLTA — 9 days ago