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Restoration of Upland Ecosystems |
Flatwoods restored from bahia pasture
We begin restoration by thorough site preparation such as removing a bahia grass or weed cover and preparing a seed-bed ready site. Seed is harvested with a green silage cutter, flail vac, and by hand. Seed is carefully spread, dried, and sorted in preparation for seeding.
We have been restoring upland ecosystems including scrub, sandhill, flatwoods, seepage slope, and wet prairies since 1985.
Successful restoration of fire driven communities such as sandhill and flatwoods which are best described as savannahs would rerquire that a low-intensity ground fire be able to carry through the communities by a cover of grasses and forbs.
In order to make it financially possible to restore these systems, we began developing the techniques and seeding the groundcover of these ecosystems in 1994 and have successfully seeded dozens of sites since that time.
The seeding of sites begins soon after the main harvest in November and extends through January to get maximum germination. Seed is spread with a modified sod sprigger or Grasslander.
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Modified sod sprigger |
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Grasslander |
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Samples of ecosystem restoration through seeding |
Flatwoods detail
Wet prairie
Dry mesic flatwoods 11 months after seeding
Wiregrass and wildflowers are producing seed 9 months after seeding
Sand scrub
Sandhill
10 months after seeding
Seepage slope wildflowers
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Hand collected seed from species such as the lovegrasses shown here help to insure a successful seeding project |
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After the groundcover is established, we plant containerized trees and shrubs |
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We have restored sites varying in size from 5 to 400 acres. |
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