The Need for Savanna Restoration in the Cross Timbers

Abstract

Along the prairie/forest transition zone oak savannas have been severely degraded by logging, clearing for agriculture, fire suppression, invasion of exotic plants, and excessive livestock grazing. Savanna shares equal billing with tallgrass prairie as the most threatened plant community in the Midwest. As such, there is increasing interest in restoring these communities. Conservation criteria have not been developed for the post oak (Querces stellata) and blackjack oak (Querces marilandica) savanna of the Cross Timbers. Oak savanna was arguably an important component of the historical Cross Timbers region. Following settlement, overgrazing in conjunction with a decrease in fire frequency and/or intensity has increased the density of oak stands to the point where they resemble closed-canopy forests rather than savanna. This is a threat to the biodiversity of the Cross Timbers. Proactive land management practices are recommended for restoring savanna communities. Such efforts may require thinning-out areas of degraded oak savanna to help re-establish the herbaceous understory. Fire is recommended to restore ecological processes that limit woody plant encroachment and promote biodiversity. Further research should investigate the ecological dynamics and functions of oak savannas, as well as provide further guidelines for its conservation.