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Our project was designed to test if woody removal in a riparian zone allowed the system to rebound to a grassland stream state. We hypothesized that removal would increase light and decrease moss biomass.
Our project was designed to test if woody removal in a riparian zone allowed the system to rebound to a grassland stream state. We hypothesized that removal would increase light and decrease moss biomass.
In fall of 2010 in watershed N2B ( 39.088976°, -96.588599°), we established plant community plots to assess the potential ability of the riparian zone to shift to a grassland state based on cutting alone and cutting with replanting. The three treatments were 1) naturally open riparian grassland before the removal, 2) areas cleared of woody vegetation, and 3) areas cleared of woody vegetation and seeded with prairie plant species. The addition of the seeded treatment was designed to address if recovery of grassland vegetation is hindered by propagule limitation.