Prairie restoration is a conservation effort to restore prairie lands that were destroyed due to industrial, agricultural, commercial, or residential development. The primary aim is to return areas and ecosystems to their previous state before their depletion. In the United States, after the Black Hawk War had subsided in the mid-1830s, settlers from northern Europe and north east of the US made a home for themselves. They plowed up the tallgrasses and wild flowers in the area. By 1849 most species of prairie grass had disappeared to make room for crops (i.e.: soybeans, corn, etc.). Restored prairies and the grasses that survived the 1800 plowing represent only a fragment of the abundant verdure that once covered the midsection of North America from western Ohio to the Rockies and from southern Canada to Texas. As an example, the U.S. state of Illinois alone once held over 35,000 square miles (91,000 km2) of prairie land and now just 3 square miles (7.8 km2) of that original prairie land is left. The over farming of this land as well as periods of drought and its exposure to the elements (no longer bound together by the tall grasses) was responsible for the Dust Bowls in the 1930s. Issues of erosion, and waning biodiversity have arisen in areas once populated by prairie grass species. So in efforts of restoration, in Europe, when restoring previous crop land with prairie grasses, the most frequently used techniques involve: spontaneous succession, sowing seed mixtures, transfer of plant material, topsoil removal and transfer. When maintaining these tall grasses, prescribed fire is a popular method. It encourages taller and stronger regrowth as well as the recycling of nutrients in the soil. Although not fully able to restore the full diversity of an area, restoration efforts aid the thriving of the natural ecosystems. This is further improved by the specific reintroduction of key organisms from the native plants microbiome. Prairie soil also effectively stores carbon. As carbon sinks, they work as a vital regulator of carbon in the atmosphere through carbon sequestration (withdrawal), and the carbon benefits the sustenance of diverse species in the prairie ecosystem.
Purpose
Erosion Erosion occurs when surface pressures wear away the material of the Earth's crust. Particularly with land previously dominated by prairie grasses, the loss of the tallgrass extensive fibrous root system left the soil exposed and unbound. Ecologically, prairie restoration aids in conservation of earth's topsoil, which is often exposed to erosion from wind and rain (worsened by climate change's heavier and frequent rain) when prairies are plowed under to make way for new commerce. Conversely, much more of the prairie lands have become the fertile fields on which cereal crops of corn, barley and wheat are grown. Continued erosion reduces the long term productivity of the soil. Prairie restoration reintroduces this root system that once again binds the soil, strengthening it against water erosion through adequate water filtration.
Carbon collection Prairie soil is also useful for carbon sequestration. Carbon dioxide is a heat trapping gas, and 40% of it is produced by humans and remains in the atmosphere thus worsening the effects of global warming. Prairie grass collects this carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and stores it in its soil. When left undisturbed, the prairie soil acts as a Carbon sink, meaning it absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases.
Other purposes Many prairie plants are also highly resistant to drought, temperature extremes, disease, and native insect pests. They are frequently used for xeriscaping projects in arid regions of the American West. On a larger scale, communities and corporations are creating areas of restored prairies which in turn will store organic carbon in the soil and help maintain the biodiversity of the 3000 plus species that count on the grasslands for food and shelter. Research in Walnut Creek Restoration (Iowa) on the contribution of recently converted land (from row crop to prairie grass), shows the improvement in ground water quality over the span of 10 years. By changing the type of plant and quality, the issue of groundwater contamination (of unwanted chemicals, as a result of climate change and an issue of water security) can be alleviated.
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