Homestead National Monument of America Bur Oak Forest Restoration Plan: Reference Condition and Management Considerations

Authors

Steven B. Rolfsmeier, Chadron State College

Date of this Version

1-2007

Document Type

Technical Report

Citation

Rolfsmeier, Steven B. 2007. Homestead National Monument of America Bur Oak Forest Restoration Plan: Reference Condition and Management Considerations. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. 33pp.

Abstract

The Vegetation Management Action Plan for Homestead National Monument of America includes a statement of the desired future condition that states: "The monument's natural resources are managed in such a way as to maintain a heterogeneous landscape composed of a mosaic of high quality remnant and restored tallgrass prairie, lowland bur oak forest and associated ecotones, as well as prairie streams and their hydrologic processes; that reflects the value of the site as a homestead, represents as accurately as possible the environment encountered by early settlers, and preserves native biodiversity" (Bolli 2006). The lowland bur oak forest along Cub Creek represents a remnant of a bur oak wooded community that was recorded occurring on the site prior to the establishment of the Daniel Freeman's homestead in 1863, in the Public Land Office survey of 1857. Although the historic description is quite brief and incomplete, it is undoubtedly not the same as the current forest due to a series of changes to the environment that accompanied a shift from a landscape utilized by transient hunters to one populated by sedentary farmers. In order to more accurately represent the environment faced by the first European settlers, management actions should be undertaken that restore, to the extent possible, the historic conditions that shaped the vegetation they encountered. Before these actions can be carried out, a reference condition needs to be established as a goal toward which restoration efforts can be directed. Ideally, this reference condition should be determined by collecting data from existing sites that have similar edaphic characteristics and vegetation that has been minimally impacted by disturbance. Since we desire a reference condition that existed in an environment that has changed dramatically in the last 140 years since settlement, the likelihood of encountering a reference site that has not been similarly impacted appears very unlikely. In the absence of reference sites that reflect the 1860's vegetative condition, professional judgment must be employed to establish what the reference condition should be, guided by historical accounts and by examination of the environmental factors that were altered as a result of European settlement, and they might have shaped the composition and structure of the existing oak forest. By considering reference sites, historical accounts, and the effects of changes to the environment, we can describe and propose an historic condition that approximates the oak wooded community that existed in the 1860's and begin to chart a course to restore the forest to a condition that closely approximates what might have been encountered by early settlers, while minimizing damage to the natural biodiversity of the existing community.