Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever and partners recently completed work improving 138,000 acres of wildlife habitat in the Sandhills ecoregion of Nebraska. This five-year, ongoing project, funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Nebraska Environmental Trust, is aimed at removing eastern red cedar to improve grassland habitat for greater prairie chickens, sharp-tailed grouse and grazing land for local ranchers.
“The Sandhills of Nebraska is the largest intact grassland in the world,” said Ryan Lodge, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Working Lands Coordinator. “Woody encroachment is one of several threats to the Sandhills and the Great Plains.”
Eastern red cedars cause huge issues for prairie habitats. According to Tanner Swank, a Quail Forever coordinating biologist in Oklahoma, each tree can consume between 25 and 30 gallons of water per day. In arid regions of the Great Plains or years of drought, this lack of water impacts wildlife and livestock producers alike.
Cedar trees also create a dense canopy, shading out native grasses, negatively impacting the nesting habitat for grassland birds and reducing the availability of forage for cattle. Combined with their ability to reproduce effectively, cedars can quickly become a serious threat to the health of native grasslands.
"As our grasslands become fragmented from woody encroachment, we start to see loss of forage production that livestock rely on and grassland dependent wildlife species are displaced, leading to species decline,” Lodge said. “Our programs focus on addressing resource concerns and restoring this critical habitat for grassland species, as well as helping keep ranches economically viable and sustainable into the future.”
A variety of techniques are used to combat woody encroachment and improve grassland health. Mechanical removal of cedar trees in combination with regular fire regimens ensures cedars can’t reestablish themselves. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever provided landowner workshops and helped create the local GLW Prescribed Burn Association, a collective of landowners in Garfield, Loup and Wheeler counties committed to assisting each other with prescribed fire efforts.
The organization also works with landowners on grazing techniques that move livestock across the landscape to create the diverse habitat greater prairie chickens need to thrive. For example, cattle can be moved into areas to graze more heavily and maintain the short vegetation needed for leks during spring mating. Likewise, they can be kept off areas where taller vegetation is needed for nesting habitat.
These approaches create a win-win scenario where ranchers have more grass and water for their livestock and keep one of America’s most iconic grasslands in good condition for the future. This work is made possible in partnerships with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Nebraska Environmental Trust, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, The Nature Conservancy, Sandhills Task Force, Rainwater Basin Joint Venture, Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition, the USDA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
To learn more about the GLW Prescribed Burn Association, which services Garfield, Loup, Wheeler counties and surrounding areas, please contact Ryan Lodge at ryan.lodge@usda.gov or 308-750-1215.
About Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever make up the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. This community of more than 477,000 members, supporters and partners is dedicated to the protection of our uplands through habitat improvement, public access, education and advocacy. A network of 754 local chapters spread across North America determine how 100 percent of their locally raised funds are spent — the only national conservation organization that operates through this grassroots structure. Since its creation in 1982, the organization has dedicated more than $1 billion to 580,000 habitat projects benefiting 28.8 million acres.
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