And WTF is this?
Shouldn't the ecology Dept fund these issues and mailings?
WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.govLAND LINE NEWS NOTES
December 2011
Shrub-steppe/grassland restoration manual now available
Landowners and managers who want to restore weedy, compacted, eroded or otherwise damaged acreage to grassland or shrub-steppe now have a new resource available.
The Shrub-Steppe and Grassland Restoration Manual for the Columbia River Basin was recently completed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and with funding from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA).
The idea, says compiler and co-author Richard Tveten, a WDFW biologist with the Lands Program in Olympia headquarters, is to share knowledge gained by both private and public land owners and managers and "capitalize on the experience of others."
The manual, available at
http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01330/ , provides specific recommendations relating to weed control, site preparation, species selection, planting, scheduling and equipment. Tools include a seedling identification guide, a seed mix calculator, and seed drill calibrator to help plant the right amount of desired species and recognize them when they sprout.
The plant information covers native species that are commonly used on, or that have been known to colonize, restoration sites like bluebunch wheatgrass, Great Basin wildrye, arrowleaf balsamroot and buckwheat. Also covered are introduced weeds that commonly occur and can threaten the success of restoration projects.
"The definition we use for 'restoration' is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed," Tveten said. "Restoration attempts to return an ecosystem to its historic trajectory. Restoration projects require no attendance once they are mature."
Tveten said that while full restoration may be ideal, practical limitations to obtain or successfully grow native plants, exclude invasive species, or allow the return of historic processes often results in more of a "rehabilitation" project.
"We define 'rehabilitation' as the reparation of ecosystem processes, productivity and services," he said. "It's not necessarily a return to pre-existing conditions and it may require some attendance once plants are mature."
Tveten says the need for the manual was recognized when veterans of restoration projects, like former WDFW land manager Jerry Benson, approached retirement.
"These professionals had accumulated decades of hard-earned knowledge, mainly through trial and error," Tveten said. "But this anecdotal information had never been compiled or widely disseminated. We didn't want to lose this body of knowledge and experience, so the manual was developed for new land managers to ensure more successful and cost-effective habitat restoration projects in the future."
Tveten says the manual was created for use by both novices and more experienced land managers. It is organized to answer questions like:
* What should I do with a degraded site?
* What do I have to work with now, both good and bad?
* What was the historical condition?
* What is a site capable of becoming?
* What do I want the site to look like?
* How do I go about restoring a site?
* Do I need to clean the slate, and if so, how do I go about doing so?
* How do I kill weeds without harming desirable vegetation?
* How do I increase diversity?
* What should I plant and how?
A case history library link is available showing past WDFW projects as examples. Those who develop restoration projects are encouraged to use provided forms to document their own experiences to share them with others through the library.
The Shrub-Steppe and Grassland Restoration Manual for the Columbia River Basin is intended to be a work in progress, and will be updated periodically as new information becomes available.
