Groundcover Restoration

Native Ground Cover Partners

Groundcover RestorationContributors and Participants: Dr. L. Katherine Kirkman (Associate Scientist), Dr. Steven B. Jack (Conservation Ecologist), Melanie Kaeser (Research Technician III), and Kevin McIntyre (Education Coordinator)

Project Description

As interest in restoration of the longleaf pine ecosystem continues to grow, particular attention is being focused on restoration of native ground cover because of the importance of these species for wildlife habitat and ecosystem management.

Although seeds of native species with high wildlife habitat and site restoration values are in demand by private landowners and public agencies, they are generally unavailable commercially or only offered from sources outside the Southeast. Native seed demand and supply for restoration have been successfully developed in the mid-west for ecosystems such as tallgrass prairies. Today, numerous species of prairie grasses and forbs are readily available in the horticultural and native seed trade in this region because of a reliable market for restoration of native wildlife habitat. These efforts can serve as models for restoration in the Southeast. However, basic information is needed about the reproductive biology of these species, techniques for producing seed at a commercial scale, and practical approaches to restoration across a range of conditions.

The Native Ground Cover Partners was initiated in 2001 as a collaboration of researchers, practitioners, and private landowners, who are working together to provide direction for development of cost-effective techniques for ground cover restoration in longleaf pine ecosystems. Participating partners include the Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center. at Ichauway, the University of Georgia National Environmentally Sound Production Agriculture Laboratory (NESPAL), the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA DNR), and several private landowners in southwest Georgia.

Focal Species

Initially, wiregrass was chosen as a species of interest for its contribution to wildlife habitat and prescribed fire. Three-awn wiregrass ( Aristida stricta) is considered to be a keystone species in the longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystem because of its flammability, its role in facilitating fuel accumulation, its cover for bird nesting, and its structural dominance of the ground cover. While other species of native warm season grasses play important roles in the longleaf ecosystem, particularly outside the range of wiregrass, wiregrass was a dominant species in the ground cover throughout a significant portion of the longleaf range. The presence of wiregrass is often used to indicate relatively undisturbed longleaf pine communities because wiregrass is not known to re-establish dominance on previously cultivated sites and is less vigorous without periodic fire disturbance.

Native legumes are another important component of the native ground cover of the longleaf ecosystem, sometimes comprising more than 10% of the vascular plants within the ground cover community. Many species of native legumes have high levels of nitrogen and protein, which makes them a preferred forage for many herbivores. They also produce abundant seed that are an important food source for wildlife, including game species such as bobwhite quail and wild turkey. In addition to their wildlife value, legumes have a unique ability to “fix” nitrogen, or move nitrogen from the atmosphere into the soil and convert it to forms that plants can use. This process is important in nutrient-limited ecosystems that experience frequent fire, such as longleaf pine.

Project Accomplishments

Through 2006, accomplishments of NGCP include:

Approximately 500 acres of wiregrass planted as part of restoration efforts on state and private lands in the region.

Landowner incentives developed for donor sites with high-quality wiregrass to allow harvest for restoration on other properties.

Increased awareness and interest of nurseries in production of wiregrass plugs.

Partnerships with commercial suppliers of native ground cover seeds.

Establishment of increasing garden for native legumes and warm season grasses.

Research and development of harvest, seed cleaning, and planting techniques for both wiregrass and legumes.

Additional Information:

Mulligan MK, Kirkman LK. Competition effects on wiregrass (Aristida beyrichiana) growth and survival. Pl Ecol 2001; 140:1-12.

Mulligan MK, Kirkman LK, Mitchell RJ. Aristida beyrichiana Trin. & Rupr. (wiregrass) establishment and recruitment: implications for restoration. J Ecol Rest.

Norden, H. and L. K. Kirkman. 2006. Field guide to common legume species of the longleaf pine ecosystem.

Funded by: The Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and NESPAL.