Restoring Ecological Health to Your Land

by Apfelbaum, Steven I.; Haney, Alan; Vinyeta, Kirsten R.

• ISBN13: 9781597265720
• ISBN10: 1597265721
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-05-11
• Publisher: Island Pr

Summary

Restoring Ecological Health to Your Land is the first practical guidebook to give restorationists and would-be restorationists with little or no scientific training or background the how to" information and knowledge they need to plan and implement ecological restoration activities. This textbook sets forth a step-by-step process for developing, implementing, monitoring, and refining on-the-ground restoration projects that is applicable to a wide range of landscapes and ecosystems.

The first part of the textbook introduces the process of ecological restoration in simple, easily understood language through specific examples drawn from the authors' experience restoring their own lands in southern and central Wisconsin. It offers systematic, step-by-step strategies along with inspiration and benchmark experiences. The book's second half shows how that same thinking"and doing" can be applied to North America's major ecosystems and landscapes in any condition or scale.

No other ecological restoration textbook leads by example and first-hand experience like this one. The authors encourage readers to champion restoration of ecosystems close to where they live . . . at home, on farms and ranches, in parks and preserves.

It provides an essential bridge for people from all walks of life and all levels of experience-from land trust member property stewards to agency personnel responsible for restoring lands in their care-and represent a unique and important contribution to the literature on restoration.

The companion workbook describes more fully the planning tools and techniques outlined in the textbook and offers a wealth of specific resources, including worksheets and spreadsheets to help you determine what equipment and plant materials you need, create project schedules, monitor results, and estimate costs.

Author Biography

Steven I. Apfelbaum is chairman of Applied Ecological Services Inc., a company he founded in 1975. He has worked on design, construction, management, monitoring, and research of ecosystems and has taught ecosystem restoration to land trusts, conservation organizations, and families interested in restoring their property.

 

Alan Haney is a forest ecologist and emeritus professor of forestry and former dean of the College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point. His research and teaching focus on ecosystem structure and function, including restoration ecology.

 

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Introduction	p. xv
Principles of Ecological Restoration	p. 1
Connecting with the Land: The Story of Stone Prairie Farm	p. 3
Exploring the Landscape	p. 4
Developing a Plan	p. 7
Getting Started	p. 8
Scaling Up	p. 9
Learning to Work with Nature	p. 10
Principles Learned from the Stone Prairie Experience	p. 10
Learning by Doing	p. 11
The Necessity of Stewardship	p. 12
Joy of Success	p. 13
Conclusions	p. 14
Ecological Restoration: An Overview	p. 15
Ecosystems	p. 16
Assessing the Health of Ecosystems	p. 37
Indicators of Healthy Ecosystems	p. 20
Importance of Diversity	p. 22
Ten-step Process for Ecological Restoration	p. 23
Mapping and Inventory	p. 23
Investigate the History of the Landscape	p. 28
Interpretation of Landscape Changes	p. 31
Develop Realistic Goals and Objectives	p. 35
Prepare a Plan	p. 35
Develop and Initiate a Monitoring Program	p. 36
Implement the Plan	p. 36
Document Changes and Maintain Records	p. 36
Periodically Reevaluate the Program	p. 36
Communicate and Educate	p. 37
Conclusions	p. 37
Developing a Restoration Plan	p. 39
The Restoration Process	p. 40
Inventory and Mapping	p. 40
Investigate the Landscape History	p. 49
Interpretation of Landscape Changes	p. 59
Develop Realistic Goals and Objectives	p. 66
Prepare a Plan	p. 68
Develop and Initiate a Monitoring Program	p. 72
Implement the Plan	p. 73
Document Changes and Maintain Records	p. 73
Conclusions	p. 74
Implementing Restoration	p. 77
Working at the Right Scale	p. 78
Where to Start	p. 80
Working With, Not Against Nature	p. 81
Recruiting Volunteers and Hiring Professionals	p. 81
Restoration Success and Nature's Clock	p. 83
Availability vs. Phenology	p. 83
Reading Phenology: What to Look For	p. 83
Knowing When It Is Too Late	p. 84
Throwing Everything at the Land?	p. 84
Patience, Persistence, and Long-term Perspectives	p. 84
Commonly Employed Techniques	p. 85
Hydrology	p. 85
Chemical Challenges	p. 90
Biological Techniques	p. 92
Site Preparation	p. 94
Seeding and Planting	p. 95
Control of Woody Vegetation	p. 99
Use of Fire	p. 101
A Management Program	p. 103
Conclusions	p. 105
Monitoring Progress	p. 107
Affirming Measurable Objectives	p. 108
Basic Monitoring Techniques	p. 110
Light Quality and Quantity	p. 111
Plant Community and Vegetation	p. 111
Hydrology	p. 113
Faunal Monitoring	p. 116
Other Benefits of Monitoring	p. 118
Is There Ever an Endpoint?	p. 119
Conclusions	p. 120
Applying Restoration to Different Types of Ecosystems	p. 121
Grassland Restoration	p. 123
Historic Grasslands in North America	p. 123
Grassland Fauna	p. 126
Vegetation	p. 126
Fire	p. 127
Stressors	p. 127
Market and Policy Changes	p. 130
Restoration Practices	p. 131
Mixed-grass and Short-grass Prairie Restoration	p. 131
Tallgrass Prairie Restoration	p. 133
Choice of Species	p. 134
Caring for New Prairie	p. 134
Prescribed Fire	p. 135
Control of Woody Invasives	p. 138
Conclusions	p. 139
Forest Ecosystem Restoration	p. 141
The Challenge of Restoring Forested Ecosystems	p. 142
Applying the Principles of Restoration	p. 144
Examples Across North America	p. 146
Longleaf-Slash Pine Forests	p. 147
Bottomland Hardwood Forests	p. 148
Oak and Loblolly-Shortleaf Pine Forests	p. 151
Oak-Hickory Forests	p. 153
Northern Hardwood Forests	p. 154
Boreal Forests	p. 156
Savannas	p. 157
Pacific Evergreen Forests	p. 161
Conclusions	p. 162
Wetland Restoration	p. 163
Wetland Form and Function	p. 165
Planning Wetland Restoration	p. 166
Regulations and Legal Definitions	p. 167
Wetland Types	p. 168
Substrates	p. 169
Water Quality	p. 169
Hydrology	p. 170
Classification of Wetlands	p. 170
Physical Gradients and Biological Change	p. 173
Stressors	p. 173
Restoration Strategies and Process	p. 174
Conclusions	p. 176
Stream Restoration	p. 179
Underlying Problems	p. 179
Some Principles	p. 182
The Process of Stream Restoration	p. 183
Conclusions	p. 186
Desert Restoration	p. 187
What Is a Desert?	p. 188
Unique Biological Adaptations	p. 191
Stressors and Impacts	p. 192
Restorations Strategies	p. 193
Conclusions	p. 200
Species List	p. 203
Glossary	p. 213
Notes	p. 221
Index	p. 227
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