Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES)

How Does Tree Removal Impact the Avian and Plant Grassland Community?

Temperate grasslands and shrublands are some of the most endangered ecosystems, receiving little to no protection, as over 50% of their area has been lost and less than 5% has been protected. To exacerbate the matter, grasslands and shrublands are alternate states of each other, where management for one necessarily excludes the other. Woody encroachment is now considered the greatest threat to grasslands, but traditionally reversing encroachment necessarily reduces shrublands. This poses a management challenge as both grassland and shrubland birds have experienced steep declines. Despite this, most woody vegetation management focuses on grassland birds and rarely considers shrubland ones. To address this challenge, I investigated a gradient of tree removal, specifically aimed at creating shrubland habitat, in the grasslands of the central U.S., and the extent to which tree removal impacted the grassland and shrubland avian community.