Ecological Restoration Research
Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery and management of ecological integrity. Research in ecological restoration involves analyses of restoration techniques for their effectiveness; comparisons of different restoration methods; and construction of restoration plans. Some of the past and ongoing Ecological Restoration Research Projects at SNRE include:
A Comparison of Frequency and Timing of Burning in the Restoration of a Prairie Remnant in Ann Arbor, Michigan (Robert Grese and Gary Fowler)
The response of native prairie vegetation and exotic weeds to the frequency and timing of burning has been studied for the past six years as part of restoration management for a degraded mesic prairie remnant in Nichols Arboretum in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The prairie remnant, known locally as Dow Field, was regularly mowed as open lawn up until approximately 1977 when the central ten acres was allowed to grow during the summer and would be cut in the fall. Beginning in 1987, a pilot burn program was devised for managing the prairie. The current burn program was initiated in 1991, with some areas burned annually in the spring, some areas burned annually in the fall, and some areas burned every three years in the spring. Sixty 2-square meter permanent plots within each treatment have been sampled yearly and comparisons made with regard to changes in species composition, presence of non-native species, and heights of native grasses under each treatment. Preliminary qualitative results suggest that higher levels of diversity exist in the plots burned annually in the fall, although some of that diversity is due to non-native species found in those plots. Diversity seems to be lowest in the plots burned annually in the spring, which are dominated by Andropogon gerardi. The abundance of non-native species found in the prairie has decreased throughout the prairie, although this is more evident in the spring burn plots. The three-year cycle of burning and the hotter fires that result seem to be the most effective at controlling woody plants in the prairie.
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Development and Testing of a Decision Support System for River Rehabilitation (David Allan, Gloria Helfand and Joan Iverson Nassauer, with other research partners and students)
The project goal is to develop a conceptual and quantitative watershed model that will aid in identifying opportunities for the rehabilitation of stream ecosystems that are socially acceptable, ecologically beneficial, and cost-effective. Research is organized around a series of modules, each of which can be linked to a GIS and a spatially-explicit, multi-scale model. Module A is a GIS (Geographic Information System) and model-intensive component that will quantify landscape and hydrologic properties likely to influence stream ecological integrity at the watershed scale. Module B provides alternative, ecologically-beneficial landscape scenarios at the site scale, and a system for evaluating their social and economic acceptability of within the exurbanizing, agricultural watersheds of southeastern Michigan. Module C is a site-based assessment of river ecological integrity, based on biological, physical, and chemical measures. Its role is to test predictions of local stream health derived from landscape and hydrologic properties to determine the utility of the overall model in predicting rehabilitation opportunity. The final product will be an integrated, spatially explicit, multi-scale model to display information on land use, landcover, and ecological condition of tributary streams in a 5,000 km2 agricultural and urbanizing region. Using "build-out" projections of local government master plans, as implemented by conventional or alternative innovative landscape scenarios, our approach is intended to support decision-makers' capacity to advocate for ecologically-beneficial landscape change and to anticipate the ecological effects of landscape changes that are likely to be proposed for agricultural landscapes. For more information, please visit the project website.
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Ecological and Economic Impacts of Watershed Restoration on Salmonid Productivity in Lake Michigan Tributaries (Michael R. Moore and Edward Rutherford)
This project is investigating the ecological and economic effects of modifying dam operations for restoration of the Manistee River. Located in west-central Michigan, the Manistee River is among Lake Michigan's major tributary rivers and supports excellent salmonid fisheries, largely maintained by stocking. Before Consumers Power Company switched to run-of-river flow operations at the Manistee River dams, little natural reproduction occurred here. Management of the two dams was modified from peaking to run-of-river flows beginning in 1989, after eighty years of peak-flow operation. Considerable natural reproduction of salmonids is believed to occur as a result of flow stability. This research will: (1) quantify the effect of run-of-river flows on production of salmonids in the lower Manistee River, (2) estimate the economic benefit from recreational fishing given the increased production of salmonids, and (3) estimate the economic cost, in terms of foregone hydropower production, of changing from peaking to run-of-river flows on the Manistee River. With over 250 hydropower dams currently petitioning for relicensing by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and 550 additional licenses in need of renewal by the year 2015, a national interest exists in evaluating the tradeoffs between hydropower production and environmental protection on regulated rivers. This research will help establish a scientific basis for evaluating these tradeoffs.
This research project was recently extended to the Muskegon and AuSable rivers in Michigan. The framework described above will be applied to these rivers in addition to the Manistee River.
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Ecological Restoration Plan: Detroit Edison Trespass, Haven Hill Natural Area, Highland Recreation Area (Robert Grese)
This project involves the creation of an ecological restoration plan for a section of the Haven Hill Natural Area in Highland State Recreation Area in Oakland County, Michigan. The area was recently cutover in the construction of a utility corridor along the M-59 highway, which borders the natural area to the north. The Haven Hill area, with its diverse glaciated topographic features and rich array of habitats, was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1976 and as a State of Michigan Natural Area in 1954 and again in 1979. The area that was disturbed consists mainly of over a mile of "edge" habitats along M-59. It is estimated that over 1300 trees and shrubs were cut, some stately white and black oaks well over 150 years old. It is widely feared that this cutting will open up the wooded area to increases in windthrow, invasion by non-native plant species, and effects by deer browse. This project will provide a detailed scientifically-based ecological resotration and monitoring plan for the damaged zone and areas of the Haven Hill Natural Area affected by the trespass now, or likely to be affected in the future. The goal of the plan will be to return the area affected by the trespass to either the pre-damaged condition and/or the pre-settlement condition as determined desirable and feasible. Included in the restoration and monitoring plan will be: (1) consideration of both immediate and long-term ecological impacts of the damage to the Natural Area; (2) specific treatment prescriptions and an implementation schedule; (3) control and monitoring of non-native species; (4) strategies for procuring local genotypes of appropriate native plant species for use in restoration efforts; (5) detailed technical instructions for seed collection, planting techniques, burn prescriptions, and other restoration and management activities; (6) and strategies for monitoring both the indirect effects to the uncut area of the Natural Area (such as increased windthrow, colonization by non-native species, etc.), and the success of ecological restoration efforts.
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Ecological Targets for the Rouge River (Michael Wiley)
A National Wet Weather Demonstration Project on the Rouge River, this project is another one to grow out of the Michigan River Inventory (MRI) research effort. This project is one of the largest restorations ever attempted in an urban river setting. The contract requires the provision of long-term biological (fishes), thermal, and hydrologic targets for this restoration using ecological criteria developed from the state's MRI databases. Based on observations of physically similar rivers elsewhere in Michigan, goals are being designed for the restoration of the fish community of the Rouge. In addition, the target temperatures and hydrological yields (wet weather, dry weather, and annual flow duration curves) necessary to support a rehabilitated fish community will be provided.
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Flow Alteration in Great Lakes Basin Rivers: Extent and Effects (David Allan, Edward Rutherford, Paul Seelbach, Michael Wiley, Paul Webb and N. LeRoy Poff)
Alteration of the flow regimes of rivers greatly impacts their ecological integrity. Through direct physical change, including dams, culverts, dredging and channelization, the flow of rivers has been dramatically altered. No less importantly, changing land use, particularly the transformation of forested to agricultural and urban lands, with increases in impermeability and runoff, has indirectly altered river flow by affecting the hydrologic pathways that generate runoff. This project addresses the need for a synoptic and basin-wide assessment of the extent of flow regulation of Great Lakes tributaries, impacts on the physical habitat and the biota, and the opportunities for innovative and effective restoration. Through a coordinated program that includes new research, analysis and synthesis of existing data, outreach, and web-based information transfer, this project will provide a basin-wide assessment of the ecological benefits of flow restoration. This science-based synthesis of restoration potential will inform agency personnel, environmental organizations and private grant makers of need, opportunity, and potential targets for flow restoration, hopefully energizing the Great Lakes community to restore the basin's ecological integrity. For more information, please visit the project website.
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Monitoring Marsh Fishes in Les Cheneaux (Paul Webb )
The goal of this survey of inshore fishes and their larvae in Great Lakes marsh bays is to aid The Nature Conservancy in making decisions on how to best preserve and protect rare and fragile habitat along Northern Lake Huron. Similarly, the work is intended to aid decisions by members of Les Cheneaux community towards ecologically sensitive sustainable development in the area. For more information on this project, please visit the Fish Communities in Great Lakes Marshes: Studies in Les Cheneaux Northern Lake Huron Project website.
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