7. PRSR 04-11-2007 - Laserfiche WebLink

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outside help from a contractor or agricultural cooperative that regularly applies herbicides. Generally, the most advantageous time to apply herbicide in preparation for prairie planting is between April 1 and May 15. This will allow 1-2 weeks for the plants to die back and dry up, after which the area can be burned. Prescribed Burning: Following the control of existing ground cover, the area should be burned in preparation for seeding of native species. The burn should be accomplished after brown-up, which is usually two to three weeks. Use the mowed perimeter discussed above as a burn break. Be sure that the mowing is done close to the ground and that the burn breaks are greater than 8 feet wide. Any material discharged from the mower should be deposited outside of the burn break, away from the area to be burned to prevent increasing fuel loads near the edge of a fire unit. This reduces the chance for fire flare up, fuel smoldering, and reduces the chance of fire crossing a firebreak. Any dead limbs lying on the ground inside the burn unit, within 20 feet of the burn break, should also be removed to minimize chances for fire to creep across the fire line. Seeding: Following the prescribed fire in April or May, the site should be seeded with native species known to occur in this area (recommended seeding list given below). The recommended seeding method here is to drill grass and forb seed within two weeks of the prescribed burn (late April to early June). If a native seed drill such as a Truax no-till drill is used, it would also be recommendable to remove at least half, if not all of the forb box feeder tubes from the seeder assembly. This allows the fine forb seed to fall to the ground and prevents it from being placed in the seed furrow where these smaller seeds might end up being planted too deep. Alternately, fine forb seed can be hand broadcast at the same time as the drilling or seeded between November and February. The latter method is known as frost seeding. It works well for small-seeded native forbs, but tends to work less well for fluffy seeds, particularly those of native grasses, and large, hard seeds, such as compass plant. A fall fire increases the effectiveness of frost seeding by exposing the soil, so the seed can then gain good soil-to-seed contact. Below is a recommended seeding plan that uses species thought to be the most cost- effective for the site. If forb seed is not used for these plantings, another option is to purchase live plants and place them in groups of forbs throughout the field. The cost per acre for grass seed in this seeding list is approximately $200-300, depending on availability. Forb seed in the amounts listed is approximately $500-800 per acre. If resources are limited for the planting, it is recommendable to still include some basic Top of the World Park Addition Natural Area Management Plan 18