2002 Draft Natural Resources Management

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GENERAL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR SELECT NATURAL CONTMUNITY TYPES Below are general management strategies for prairie, savanna, wetland and forest communities. These mana�ement strategies are intended to be generic; therefore more specific mana�ement recommendations may be necessary for individual natural communities and sites. More specific management strategies are provided in Sections 5& 6. Prairie and Savanna Management The health of prairie and savanna plant communities was maintained before Euroamerican settlement by grazing and fires, both of r�vhich probably occurred annually to every few years on most sites. Some fires occurred naturally. But the vast majority were intentionally set by Native Americans. Fires maintained the open structure of prairies by controlling the growth and spread of trees and shn.►bs, removing accumulated plant litter, warming the soil in spring, and returning nutrients to the soil_ With the spread oi agriculture and urban development, fires have been suppressed, leading to the spreaci of shrubs, trees, and exotic plants in prairie and savanna cornmunities, and loss of diversity of native grasses ar�d forbs_ The activities of large and sma�l mammals and insects also helped to maintain prairie connmunities by spreading seeds, burrowing to loosen soils, and pollinating prairie grasses and farbs. In addition to the suppression of fires, grairies and savannas have been degradeci by inappz'opriate levels of grazing, which reduce forb diversity and encourage the dominance of clonal plants {such as golden zod) that are unpalatable to livestock. Other factars responsihle for thc decline of prairie and savanna comm�nities include: developmcnt, ili-advjsed tree planting, plowin�, and too frequent mowing. City of Roseville Z� Parks Naturnl Kesottrce Manctge�nent