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Canopy coverage of all vascular plant species were estimated in 20 circular 10 sq m plots for each of the topographic positions within each included watershed at Konza Prairie.
Canopy coverage of all vascular plant species were estimated in 20 circular 10 sq m plots for each of the topographic positions within each included watershed at Konza Prairie.
This data set relates effects of soil, grazing intensity and burning treatments on the establishment and subsequent expansion of woody plants in prairie communities. The locations of woody vegetation are marked on a mylar overlay of an aerial photograph of the area being surveyed with an unique symbol for each species and a number for the size. For trees, size is the height to the nearest meter. For shrubs, the number of stems is recorded as a measure of size if the number is less than 25.
We report the results of a 30-year experiment at Konza Prairie, a mesic grassland in the Central Great Plains, under fire suppression (20-year fire return intervals) and experimental presence/absence of bison. Based on remote sensing, the land cover of deciduous trees was lower (6% grazed vs. 16% ungrazed) in bison-grazed areas. There was no difference between shrub land cover (42% grazed and 41%) and herbaceous land cover was higher in the grazed vs the ungrazed (51% grazed and 40% ungrazed).