| About the project | |
| Prairie fen wetlands frequently contain exceptionally high plant and insect diversity. There are a number of threats to prairie fens, including land use change and non-native invasive species. In Michigan, the most common invasive species is glossy buckthorn.
Although glossy buckthorn is often removed from fens as part of restoration projects, there is a lack of information on quantifying that success. In 2007, we began an analysis of the differences between buckthorn invaded and uninvaded fen. In winter 2008, we cleared glossy buckthorn from replicated plots at the MSU MacCready Reserve. Our study focused on tracking the changes in both the plant and insect community after restoration, identifying plants that could be used as indicators of degraded fens and of successful fen restoration. During the growing seasons of 2008 and 2009, we measured the changes in plant and insect communities, pollination, soil nutrients, and light availability in the restored areas, as well as buckthorn invaded areas and uninvaded fen. |
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This website is one way to share our findings with the public. On it you will find description of prairie fen as well as a list of plants that fall into three broad categories:
1) non-native invasives or plants that are likely to be found in prairie fen invaded by non-natives,
2) plants that frequently become more common after removal of non-native invasives, and
3) plants that are characteristic of prairie fen, some of which would be found only in intact communities, others which are likely to become more common during the restoration process.
Funding
Support provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Lynn and Thelma MacCready Forest and Wildlife Endowment, MSU, and the Hanes Trust of the Michigan Botanical Club.
The Nature Conservancy, Michigan Natural Features Inventory, The Stewardship Network, Michigan DNR Landowner Incentive Program.
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Partners: The Nature Conservancy, Michigan Natural Features Inventory, The Stewardship Network, Michigan DNR Landowner Incentive Program. Web developer: J.N. Landis and Andrea Gooch. MSU IPM Program. Read disclaimer
