Ecological Restoration

1
Ecological Restoration
FOR 406 Silviculture
2
Harvest
Regenerate
Silvicultural System
Tend
3
Harvest
Regenerate
Ecological Restoration
Tend
4
(No Transcript)
5
What is a natural ecosystem?

• Native (indigenous) species interact in a
  self-sustaining manner
• Species persist through natural recruitment
  rather than managed reproduction
• Population dynamics are regulated internally
• Disturbance regimes function within their
  pre-disruption range of variability
• Trophic dynamics are sustainable over time
• Usually equated with some pre-existing condition
  e.g., pre-European settlement

Attainable?
6
Porcupine Mountains State Park
7
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
8
What is an unnatural ecosystem?

• High proportion of nonnative (exotic) species
• Exhibits wide swings in population dynamics,
  thereby requiring continual management actions
• Dominated by disturbance regimes far different
  than those present before degradation
• Difficult or impossible to restore to natural
  conditions

9
(No Transcript)
10
(No Transcript)
11
(No Transcript)
12
What is a degraded ecosystem?

• Somewhere in between natural and unnatural
  conditions
• Potentially restorable to a more natural condition

13
(No Transcript)
14
(No Transcript)
15
Natural ecosystems
Degraded ecosystems
Restoration
Unnatural ecosystems
16
Historical ecology
17
Historical ecology

• The desired future condition is a past condition
• How far past is past?
• The goal should be to achieve a historical range
  of variability
• Therefore, not only species and structures must
  be restored, but also processes

18
How can pre-existing conditions be defined?

• Extrapolation from undisturbed natural
  ecosystems

19
Toumey Woods
20
Newton Woods
21
Estivant Pines
22
How can pre-existing conditions be defined?

• Extrapolation from undisturbed natural
  ecosystems
• Matching species with habitat

23
(No Transcript)
24
Shade tolerance
Deep Shade Partial
Intermittent Full sun shade
shade sun Tolerant
Moderately Moderately
Intolerant tolerant
intolerant
25
(No Transcript)
26
How can pre-existing conditions be defined?

• Extrapolation from undisturbed natural
  ecosystems
• Matching species with habitat
• General Land Office (GLO) survey records

27
(No Transcript)
28
One township
6 5 4 3 2 1
7 8 9 10 11
One section
12
18 17 16 15 14 13
15
19 20 21 22 23 24
30 29 28 27 26 25
31 32 33 34 35 36
29
S 15
S 16
S 22
S 21
30
(No Transcript)
31
(No Transcript)
32
(No Transcript)
33
(No Transcript)
34
Historic forest composition changes at a
location in Cheboygan County Michigan (Data
from Palik Pregitzer 1992)
35
How can pre-existing conditions be defined?

• Extrapolation from undisturbed natural
  ecosystems
• Matching species with habitat
• General Land Office (GLO) survey records
• Written descriptions by early settlers
  scientists native oral traditions

36
J.W. Wing, 1839
37
The scene was beautiful beyond description. The
timber consisted of large oak trees standing
several rods apart and the intermediate space
between them was covered with bright green grass
and beautiful flowers. The whole country had been
burnt over every fall or spring, I presume for
centuries, and everything has been destroyed
except these giants of the forest. It appears as
if one-half of the vegetation was flowers. The
most of them were about 18 inches high and when
moved by the wind the effect was
wonderful. J.W. Wing 1839 Oak opening west of
Ann Arbor
38
(No Transcript)
39
How can pre-existing conditions be defined?

• Extrapolation from undisturbed natural
  ecosystems
• Matching species with habitat
• General Land Office (GLO) survey records
• Written descriptions by early settlers
  scientists native oral traditions
• Old photographs maps

40
State Archives of Michigan
41
MSU Archives Historical Collections
42
MSU Archives Historical Collections
43
MAC Exp. Sta. Bulletin 162 (1898)
44
Key to county acreage figures on 1898 map (top to
bottom)

• Hardwood
• Pine
• Hemlock
• Plains
• Swamp

45
How can pre-existing conditions be defined?

• Extrapolation from undisturbed natural
  ecosystems
• Matching species with habitat
• General Land Office (GLO) survey records
• Written descriptions by early settlers
  scientists native oral traditions
• Old photographs maps
• Micro-fossil (pollen) record

46
(No Transcript)
47
(No Transcript)
48
Pollen diagram from a bog in Lapeer County
49
How can pre-existing conditions be defined?

• Extrapolation from undisturbed natural
  ecosystems
• Matching species with habitat
• General Land Office (GLO) survey records
• Written descriptions by early settlers
  scientists native oral traditions
• Old photographs maps
• Micro-fossil (pollen) record
• Dendrochronology

50
226 years of radial growth in a northern white
cedar swamp near Escanaba
Ring width (mm)
Year
51
1890--tree 120 years old
52
(No Transcript)
53
The Restoration Arsenal
54
The Restoration Arsenal
55
(No Transcript)
56
The Restoration Arsenal
57
(No Transcript)
58
(No Transcript)
59
(No Transcript)
60
Area of Michigan occupied by savanna communities
circa 1800 (data from MNFI)
2.2 million acres
61
Area of Michigan occupied by savanna communities
today
1 thousand acres?
X X
62
The Restoration Arsenal
63
Use of herbicides in restoration

• Post-emergents (selective placement)
• Foliar spray
• Stump application
• Bark application
• Pre-emergents
• Spot seeding or plantings
• Large-area seeding (broadcast)

64
(No Transcript)
65
The Restoration Arsenal
66
(No Transcript)
67
(No Transcript)
68
(No Transcript)
69
(No Transcript)
70
(No Transcript)
71
(No Transcript)
72
The Restoration Arsenal
73
(No Transcript)
74
(No Transcript)
75
(No Transcript)
76
The Restoration Arsenal
77
The enemy!
78
(No Transcript)
79
The Restoration Arsenal
80
Begin the restoration, and they will come
81
Light the fire, and they will come
82
The Restoration Arsenal
83
Restoration Time Frame
Fully restored
Natural Ecosystem
Degraded
0
?
Years
10
50
100
84
No mon, no fun

• Agency, corporate, or unit budgets
• Government or foundation grants
• Private or corporate contributions
• Fund-raising events, auctions, or merchandise
  sales
• Entrance fees or donations
• All of the above

85
(No Transcript)
86
(No Transcript)
87
(No Transcript)
88
Since 1902
89
Reserve
Production
Integrated Management Matrix
Reserve
Reserve
Production
Reserve
Production
Adapted from Palik, Levy, Crow