沙巴体育

自然保护区生境恢复

沙巴体育自然保护区正在进行生态恢复.

“Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of vegetation that has been degraded or destroyed in order to restore the health and integrity of the 系统.”
-大自然保护协会

保护区的高草草原恢复

Before the arrival of Europeans, the 场 pictured above was likely covered by forest, with dominant species including American beech, maples, elms, ashes, oaks and hickories. In the late 19th or early 20th century, this 场 was cleared for agriculture, and 种植持续了20世纪的大部分时间.

Mid-century, it was converted to grazing land for livestock, featuring non-native grasses like smooth brome, timothy, orchard grass, Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue. Additional species have since made their way into this 场, including natives like bergamot, ironweed, American senna, milkweeds, hemp dogbane, goldenrods and New England aster.

Through occasional mowing and haying, it remained a grassland until 2024; the starting 这个修复工程的年份.

的目标 

我们正在把这块干草地恢复成天然的高草草原. Tallgrass prairies feature a diverse mixture of grasses and broadleaf herbs (forbs). 的 dominant grasses include big bluestem, little bluestem, golden feather grass and 柳枝稷. 主要的植物包括向日葵、紫苑、黄花、圆锥花、 草原三叶草，铁草和佛手柑. 我们的目标是在这里建立这些物种 场.

的 North American prairie began forming at the end of the Pleistocene glaciation, 大约12000年前. 在过去的几千年里，草原代表着 北美最大的连续生态系统. 大草原从北向南延伸 from Canada to Mexico, and east-to-west from Ohio to the Rocky Mountains, covering 占现在美国大陆面积的三分之一. 19日和19日 20th centuries, nearly all the prairies were plowed and converted to agriculture and 牧场. 目前，只有不到1%的原始草原完好无损.  

Prairies offer a number of eco系统 services that are beneficial to wildlife and 人类都. 我们希望在这个地点恢复这些生态系统服务.

• 大草原供养着各种各样的动物. 的se include insects (pollinators, herbivores and insectivores), birds, mammals, 蜥蜴,两栖动物. 大草原提供食物、庇护所、筑巢地和繁殖地 对于这些动物.
• 大草原造就了深厚肥沃的土壤. Perennial 草原植物 form surprisingly deep roots, reaching 10 feet or more below 地面. 当这些根死亡和分解时，就像每年一样，它们会释放出来 有机物进入土壤.
• 草原储存碳. 植物消耗二氧化碳来生长它们的身体，包括它们的深根. 当 这些根死了，就把碳储存在地下深处.
• 草原捕捉雨水. Plant roots loosen and aerate the soil as they grow, reducing compaction and increasing 水可以通过的孔隙空间. 这减少了地表径流，缓和了洪水 并补充地下水供应.
• 草原过滤水. As water drains through the prairie soils, suspended sediments, microorganisms and 化学杂质，如农业肥料，被去除.
• 草原是美丽的. 他们 provide a sense of place where people can connect emotionally and spiritually 与自然世界.
  
  

这个过程

在这片土地上占主导地位的非本地草很难被取代. 他们 积极传播 根状茎, they shade native seedlings with their dense growth forms, and they have a competitive 优势在于他们已经建立起来了. 因此，我们必须做我们该做的 diligence to eliminate these grasses and shift the competitive advantage toward native 草原植物. 

第一步是杀死这些非本地的草. 要做到这一点，最佳实践 in the 场 of ecological restoration include mowing, tilling, spraying herbicide, 燃烧和集约化放牧. 我们选择了耕作和 除草剂来消灭这些草. 

Rather than leave a barren brown 场, we have opted to cultivate this site following 清除现有植被. 这将通过稳定来减少土壤侵蚀 the soil with roots), while providing a source of income from the agricultural product.

In particular, we will be cultivating soybeans, which will have the added benefit 向土壤中添加氮，就像豆科植物固定大气中的氮一样. 整个冬天， 覆盖作物也会减少水土流失. 

经过两年的培育期，该场地将准备播种. 我们将使用含有几十种原生草原植物的混合种子. 后 seeding, occasionally mowing and spot treatments will be performed to help the perennial 工厂的建立.

项目时间表

• 2024年春天:耕种、喷洒、种植大豆
• 2024年秋季:收获大豆，种植冬小麦
• 2025年春:耕田、喷洒、种植大豆
• 2025年秋季:收获大豆，种植冬小麦
• 2026年春:耕作，重新播种本地高草草原种子
• Summer 2026 – Fall 2028: Mowing several times per growing season to establish native 这个地方将开始看起来像一个大草原.
• 2029年及以后:大草原将看起来很稳固. 长期维护和监控.|
  
  

合作者

以下是过去和现在的合作者的综合列表.

• Dr. 雅各布·布坎南:环境科学和M 'Della Moon的助理教授 沙巴体育植物学与环境科学特聘教授
• Dr. James Uphaus: Chair, Agriculture, Health Sciences and Public Service, Rhodes State 大学
• 亚伦·泰布勒:罗德州立学院学生
  
  

资金

Maintenance and management of habitats at 沙巴体育自然保护区, is 通过赠款和捐赠资助. 这个修复项目是由保护组织资助的 来自Cenovus基金会的植物基金. 大自然还有许多工作要做 preserve, and donations of any size, as well as volunteer support, are appreciated. To get involved or donate, call the 沙巴体育 Advancement Team at 419-358-3362.

To learn more about invasive plants and see photos of those listed here, visit the 俄亥俄州入侵植物委员会网站: http://www.oipc.info/

入侵物种与栖息地恢复

的 work to remove invasive species is an on-going effort that will continue indefinitely.

第一步
的 first phase of removing invasive plants targets along Augsberger Road near the 保护区入口于2023年夏季开始. 在小巷的西侧，我们正在修复 an Oak Woodland, which, after removal, will be characterized by widely spaced oaks 有一个开放的，像公园一样的林下植被. 这里已经有好几棵不同种类的橡树了 growing in this area, and removing the invasive shrubs will allow them to thrive.

第二步
第二个修复区域是东森林(East Woods). 这是一片具有高度多样性的成熟森林 of native plants, and large, mature trees including oak, hickory, maple, and beech. 的 understory is rich with native species, but invasive shrubs have begun to encroach, 尤其是沿着森林边缘.

To help conserve the existing high-quality habitat, invasive shrubs will be removed 防止对成熟森林的进一步破坏. 在接下来的100到200年，这是自然的 forest succession will proceed and allow for transition from an oak-hickory dominated forest to a beech-maple forest, which is characteristic of historical northwest Ohio 森林.

第三步
A third restoration area is along both sides of the road through the center of the 保护区加上池塘北部和东部的森林地区. 这些树林相对来说 年轻的. 他们占据的土地被完全清理，然后耕种，直到大约 1967; the year the pond was constructed.

Within the span of several years, trees were sparsely planted throughout the area. 自然演替使这些地区变成了年轻的森林. 目前, common tree species include black walnut, maples, oaks, 松树, mulberries, cottonwood, 柳树和蜜蝗. 一些地区的特色是建树比例高 入侵灌木，特别是秋橄榄和灌木金银花. 原生密度高 葡萄藤也对较高的理想树种构成威胁.

第四步
A fourth restoration area is the northwesternmost part of the nature preserve, along Bixel路. 这个地区有一些最古老、最发达的森林 the preserve, featuring a high proportion of American beech, with sugar maple, hickories, oaks, American hophornbeam, honey locust, black walnut and basswood also well-represented.

Beech-maple forest is the dominant pre-settlement late-successional forest cover type 在我们的地区. 这些森林的北部是入侵最严重的地区. 的 要移除的品种是女贞花和灌木金银花. 一些咄咄逼人的当地人，葡萄 vines and American hophornbeam, will be thinned, allowing more desirable species to 在他们的地方茁壮成长.

后 removing the dense undergrowth of invasive shrubs in these areas, we will plant 原生树木、灌木和野花. 这将取代入侵物种 当地人帮助保护这些生态系统免受未来的入侵. 原生树种 will include oaks, American elm, American beech, ashes, butternut walnut, maples and 松树. 当地的灌木种植将包括木犀草、山茱萸、美洲榛子、 漆树，樱桃，黑接骨木和漆树.