Management of Established Grass Stands for Early Successional Habitat

Management of Established Grass Stands for Early Successional Habitat

In the beginning

4-5 years after establishment Introduced Cool-Season Native Warm-Season

Which field would wildlife prefer to walk through?

Now what about you?

Grass Management Practices Disking Prescribed Burn Grazing Chemical Treatment Interseeding NOTE Fields enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program have established guidelines for management. Contact Farm Service Agency for details.

Grass Management Practices When applying management practices only treat 1/3 to ½ of each field - Untreated portions will provide nesting, roosting, and escape cover Management is not a one-time event, each grassland acre will need management every 3-5 years due to Missouri s climate Ideally, a management practice will be applied each year on a portion of the grassland acres

Disking

Strips should be 25 to 75 feet wide and separated by an area of undisturbed vegetation twice as wide Ideally, only 1/3 of the field should be disked in any one year Disking

Disking Disk 4-6 inches deep on contour Goal is to create 30 to 70% bare ground 2 or more passes required

Rotation on sloping land Field showing disking in rotation performed on the contour

Rotation on flat ground Disk these sections in the year shown, then begin the process over in year 4. Use this rotation on flat ground, such as ridgetops or creek bottoms, and not on sloping lands

Disk between October 1 st and April 30. Fall/early winter disking promotes broadleaves (ragweed) Spring disking promotes weedy grasses (foxtail) Disking fescue in late spring will promote ragweed

Poor example No soil disturbance = 0% bare ground

Another Poor Example

Good example >50% bare ground

Prescribed Burning

Timing Things to Consider Burn only burn only 1/3 to ½ of field acreage to provide brooding and nesting cover adjacent to each other Fall and winter burns favor forbs Burning in spring and fall of the same year greatly reduces stands of fescue and brome For greatest plant diversity, warm-season grasses should be burned July 16 th March 15 th Pay close attention to the growth stage of the plant - not just the month as weather varies from year to year

Cool-season grasses Burn Feb.-March with less than 2 new growth To stimulate or enhance cool-season grass Prepare seedbed for interseeding Prepare a field for herbicide application Stimulate legume germination in heavy stands

Cool-season grasses Burn in April-May with 4-6 new growth To set back grass dominance Create bare ground and stimulate weedy growth Control woody invasion NOTE burning during this period will injure or kill newly germinated annual lespedeza plants

Warm-season grasses Winter burn Dec. - Mar. To stimulate legumes and annual weeds in heavy grass stands Create bare ground Prepare seedbed for overseeding of legumes and forbs

Warm-season grasses Spring burn April-May with 1-3 new growth Will thicken or enhance poor stands of native grass Most native grass stands should not be burned during this time period unless trying to reduce cool-season grasses DO NOT BURN DURING THIS TIME PERIOD WHEN MANAGING FOR QUAIL NOTE Rank stands of warm-season grasses may not be utilized by certain wildlife species Burning during this period will also injure or kill newly germinated annual lespedeza plants

Warm-season grass Summer burn July-Aug. Controls woody invasion Sets back warm-season grass Highly recommended for most warm-season grasses NOTE summer burns are encouraged to severely stress warm-season grasses

Warm-season grasses Fall burn Aug.-Dec. Stimulates native forb regeneration and growth Sets back warm-season grass dominance Controls woody invasion Highly recommended for most warm-season grasses and best time to burn for quail

Prescribed Burning Regardless of what time or type of grass you are burning, always have a written prescribed burn plan in place Contact your local USDA Service Center, wildlife biologist, or forester for assistance with burn plan writing

Green shading indicates cool-season grass activity Tan shading indicates warm-season grass activity Do not burn in April and May unless you have one of these two goals!

Same field pictures taken on same day September Burn Not Burned

Grazing

Advantages of grazing Stimulate growth, change plant structure, and increase diversity Reduce grass dominance and increase bare ground Rabbits and birds often use cow paths as travel lanes and dusting areas.

Grazing Heavy grazing in late winter to early spring will promote brood habitat Graze in spring/early summer then rest to create nesting cover the following year

Grazing Fescue fields grazed intensively in early spring will stimulate forb production and reduce grass dominance keep grass height below 3 inches until after June 1 st Do not mow these fields during late summer or fall because mowing will eliminate desired cover and food plants

Grazing Graze warm-season grasses no shorter than 6-8 inches in summer Remove cattle in late summer to allow regrowth for nesting cover the following year

Herbicide Application Applied to temporarily set back grass species and increase plant diversity Use labeled herbicide suppression or chemical mowing rates Treat 1/3 of field per year One of the least desired management practices as it does not create immediate bare ground

Herbicide Selection Many herbicides exist for grass suppression Roundup, Select, Poast, Assure, Fusilade there are many others Some herbicides labeled for suppression will not control fescue/brome Very important to read labels before purchase

Use caution when treating fields with Use a grass specific herbicide when treating fields with wildflowers Remember we are only trying to set-back the grasses, not wildflowers Read and follow all labels! wildflowers

Herbicide Application It may be necessary to burn or mow prior to a herbicide application Allow the vegetation to re-grow 6-8 inches before treating with herbicide

Recommended Spraying Dates Spraying should be done when the vegetation is actively growing spray in the middle of the following dates Grass Type Recommended Spraying Dates* Cool-season grasses fescue, orchard grass, brome, etc. Warm-season grasses Indian grass, little bluestem, switchgrass, etc. March 15 to May 15 or October 1 to December 1 May 1 to September 15 *Conservation Reserve Program spraying dates may differ

Treated Untreated

Combine management practices Burn Burn/disk

Combine management practices Burn only Burn and herbicide application

Burn only Same field one year later Burn and herbicide application

Interseeding Complete Dec. April in conjunction with management practices Native forbs should be interseeded in Dec. or Jan. For interseeding to be effective, there must be adequate bare ground for seed to soil contact 50% bare ground is ideal

Interseeding Recommendations Native forbs and legumes 2 to 5 lbs/acre coreopsis, partridge pea, roundhead bushclover, coneflowers, black-eyed Susan, prairie clovers, sunflowers, rattlesnake master, asters, etc Non-native legumes Red clover 3lbs/acre Ladino clover 1.5lb/acre Alfalfa 3.8lbs/acre Annual lespedeza 3.8lbs/acre DO NOT USE serecia lespedeza, birdsfoot trefoil, crown vetch, or sweet clover

Dec. disking/overseeded with legumes Disked - overseeded Untreated

Post Management Evaluation Re-visit site throughout the year Did you reduce grass competition? Is bare ground adequate? Wildlife response? Is follow-up necessary?

Review Missouri grasslands must be managed! Several options burn, disk, spray, graze, interseed Important - Management is not a one-time event! The Conservation Reserve Program has specific dates for management. Contact the Farm Service Agency before treating any CRP acres.

Actively manage a portion of your grassland acres every year

They won t support a wide variety of wildlife without it!

Questions?