Outcomes of Past Grassland Reconstructions in Eastern North Dakota and Northwestern Minnesota: Analysis of Practices.

A common complaint of ecological restoration is there have been few systematic analyses of past restorations which has led to a lack of evidence informing future restorations. An analysis was done on 123 past native grassland reconstructions, spanning the last 40 years, in eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. A cluster analysis and indicator species analysis were used to place the 123 surveyed reconstructions into five significantly different groups. The five groups were separated into a Native group with the sub-groups, Big Bluestem Dominated (BBD) and Native Grass Mix (NGM) having native species as indicators, and an Exotic group with two exotic grasses, smooth brome (Bromus inermis) and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis), being indicators. Thirty-eight percent of the reconstructions were classified as Exotic. A logistic regression was used to assign membership probability to the Native group based on: 1) seed mix species richness; 2) number of grass species in the seed mix; 3) percent of grasses in seed mix; 4) time of year when seeded; and 5) seeding method. The probability of membership to the Native group for dormant season seeding, broadcast seeding, and 20+ species natives seed mix was 100%, 74%, and 81%, respectively. The probabilities of the different practices in relation to the reconstruction outcomes will provide evidence for managers on how to plan for future reconstructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]