Prairie Restoration on the Hill, Poking the Bear Jennifer Ceska, Conservation Coordinator and Heather Alley, Conservation Horticulturist & Designer State Botanical Garden of Georgia This March we “poked a bear” as part of our research studying Bermuda and Tall Fescue removal at the “Prairie on the Hill” at SBG. We applied our first herbicide treatment, kicking off a new leg of prairie restoration funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Service. We are producing prairie plants from locally sourced seeds for the project and will eventually use them to replant a prairie. SBG has had a vision of restoring “The Hill” (originally home to SBG’s first display collections) to prairie for years. The area was landscaped with Bermuda and Fescue turf, perfect for crowds and picnics. Now, removing the obsolete Bermuda is the first step for extending the Elaine Nash Prairie from the upper powerline down the Hill. We are expanding one of Georgia’s rarest habitats, the Piedmont Prairie, habitat for Monarchs, birds, bees, butterflies, and many more beneficial insects. But, for all of this botanical glory and diversity to return, the weeds must go. Bermuda is one of the more difficult invasive species to eradicate for prairie restoration. It is resistant to smothering and is stubborn against herbicide applications. Bermuda is the guest who stays too long, sometimes requiring strong, persistent herbicides that we prefer not to use. Tall Fescue isn’t much more cooperative we are told by restoration colleagues, but we are encouraged by the good results Panola Mountain State Park has had. When we ask prairie experts in Tennessee and Kentucky their advice about removing Tall Fescue, they give us a protocol that works regularly for them, mow or burn, spray, plant. When we ask about removing Bermuda, they mostly whistle, rolling their eyes, “glad we don’t have to deal with that in our prairies.” For our prairie restoration we have several plots going in to demonstrate and compare the different recommended treatments for removing Bermuda and Tall Fescue. We will look at various combinations of herbicide, black plastic, and tilling. We aim to demonstrate the best method of eradication that does the least harm to the soil. And then there is that bear, the seed bank of other weeds. Restoration biologists agree, do not till, do not break the soil, or you will unleash the soil seed bank. While this could be good if there are native prairie seeds waiting, it is usually bad, unleashing grizzly non-native species. As is also the case with our floodplain invasive species restoration project, we must be committed to battling weeds for the long haul. Thanks to the support from our many dedicated volunteers, we will be able to stay the course. We’ll see that Prairie on the Hill yet, full of native grasses and wildflowers, Monarchs and migrating songbirds. And we’ll just keep extending this prairie and other prairies along rights-of-way creating migration corridors for diversity. First we have to see how badly this bear hates being poked.
Photo 1 – Heather and Stephanie spraying plots Heather Alley and Stephanie Cleveland spraying 2% glyphosate in research plot. Photo by Jennifer Ceska Photo 2 – Aerial photo of the “Prairie on the Hill” under powerline. The white patches are dormant Bermuda; the dark green is Tall Fescue. Beehives on right. Photo by Tommy Jordan, UGA Center for Geospatial Research, Department of Geography, March 19, 2016.
