Grassland Restoration Project

The primary purpose of the Grassland Restoration project was to remediate a former 30 acre pasture which contained woody vegetation, invasive vines and weeds. The long term goal for the project is to transform this former cattle grazing pasture into a native grassland, which will be able to support grassland dependent species. The project has 2 facets: 1) the removal of existing invasive vegetation; 2) plant native grasses and wildflowers on the site.

Site Description: The 30-acre project site was divided into three fields, each approximately 10 acres (labeled 1, 2 and 3 in photo below). Woody invasive plants dominated the central area of each field. These woody areas are labeled “core” in the aerial photograph below. The remainder of each field (non-core) was composed primarily of cool season grasses, native and invasive forbs and some woody vegetation. A 700-foot hedgerow, which consisted of invasive vines and 7 trees including Norway maple, was located on the northern end of the site.