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crop should be considered for inclusion in the fall seeding to help prevent erosion. Winter <br />wheat is a common and useful crop for this purpose. <br />Maintenance: Mowing and burning <br />In the summer following the seeding, the prairie will need to be mowed roughly three <br />times. These establishment mows help to stimulate vegetative growth and to keep weed <br />species from flowering and dispersing seed throughout the site. This also allows light to <br />reach the prairie seedlings, which are mostly very small the first year. Mowing should <br />occur when the vegetation reaches roughly 12 in, though it is difficult necessary to <br />be exact in this measurement. Because mowing is used to prevent a al weeds from <br />seeding into the restoration, mowing should also be timed to pre eds from setting <br />seed, with height often being a proxy for these events. Monitor' oft Id will <br />determine the ultimate timing of the mows. Vegetation sho owe height of 4-6 <br />in, and the process repeated two or more times dependi a rate of gr <br />throughout the season. During this time, weed species.- the field edges and ounding <br />units could be treated by spot -spraying or mowing in. aider t vent therm f�'nm <br />encroaching into the establishing prairie. ` <br />Eventually, the prairie will need to be bur ed. Depending "n the a condition of the prairie, <br />this will likely occur in the third or fourt season. i3t rning'will help stimulate root <br />production and aboveground growth, and ontrol t400dy and herbaceous <br />species establishing in the prairie. Burning be spring or fall, depending on <br />weather conditions and goals of the burn (c ng no : native grasses, etc.). After the <br />burn, native seed can be adde a prairie upplement cover and diversity in areas <br />that have not taken well. I e erm, a bu QLation will need to be established so <br />that the prairie is burnedt repeatiff intervals. ning every 3-5 years is a common <br />interval, but can be hard'' tiv s. Ultimately, the interval length will <br />depend on the desired Bala alive s and herbaceous plants, and can also be <br />timed to respon tbreak n -native woody or herbaceous species. If burning is not <br />part of the his um pidly succeed to forest, since there are many <br />woody se n (both a and -native) encroaching from the surrounding units. The <br />prairiefsav na unit sholabe burned in sections to ensure the availability of unburned <br />refugia fores when p icular areas are burned. <br />Expanding existfilJoWifnd units <br />Once woody speciefhave been controlled to desired levels in the non-agricultural unit, <br />non-native grasses will need to be controlled to jump start the restoration in these units. <br />Smooth brome (Bromus inermis), Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis), and other <br />undesirable herbaceous species are present and abundant on the property. Reducing or <br />eliminating these species will aid in successful savanna restoration and prevent early <br />invasion when the prairie and savanna areas are still establishing. A combination of <br />spraying and burning will help to control undesirable species and prepare the areas for any <br />necessary seeding. First attempts should be late season burns. Late season burns are <br />beneficial because they more completely deplete plants of energy reserves by destroying <br />Friends of the Mississippi <br />67 <br />W.H. Houlton Conservation Area NRMP <br />