Dave Wedin's Approach to Prairie Restoration
- Mickayla Yard
- Dec 1, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 14, 2021
A profile assignment based on interviews with Dave Wedin and the Center with Grassland Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Indiangrass in a CRP field at Stock Seed Farms in Murdock, NE - ©Mickayla Yard
Prairie restoration has developed into creating landscapes that embodies the native landscape, while still providing usable, workable land for farmers, ranchers, & communities.
Prairies are areas of grassland with deep fertile soil that is able to support a variety of wildlife and livestock. The prairie of the Great Plains has changed dramatically in the last 100 years and continues to change as farming and other practices have taken over most of the land that was originally grasslands.
“We are trying to put the land back into something that resembles the land that was here prior to European settlement.” Said Dave Wedin.
Dave Wedin is a Professor of Plant and Ecosystem Ecology in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His research focus includes grassland and savanna ecology, carbon and nitrogen cycling in terrestrial ecosystems, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, and landscape ecology and fire ecology.
Grassland systems are vital to the Midwest ecosystem because grasslands help preserve and improve organic material in the soil. The rootmass of native grasses help preserve soil and prevent erosion. These root masses also store a significant amount of carbon in the soil. But a large portion, if not most, of the original prairie that used to thrive here in the Corn Belt is gone because of the conversion to farmland, development of large cities, and poor management.
Climate change has also had a big impact on the Nebraska grasslands. Spring comes earlier, and the night temperatures have been getting warmer. February’s have been significantly colder in the last few years as well. Weather-wise Eastern Nebraska, where the Tall-Grass Prairie originally resided, has been wetter. In recent years Nebraska, and most of the midwest, has been experiencing much more dramatic and extreme weather conditions, specifically higher precipitation. Despite the increased rainfall, drought has not been uncommon in recent years either. Western Nebraska, home to the Short-Grass Prairie has been getting drier and drier, and even the Eastern part of the state has seen its share of drought in the last few years, despite heavier recorded rainfall.
Prairie and grassland preservation has been at the forefront of Wedin’s research for years, working with a variety of researchers, Natural Resource District (NRD) members, communities, and farmers. Over 12,000 acres of grassland have been planted by Prairie Plains and over one million acres have been planted through CRP programs in the last few years.
“It is important to choose seeds with local ecotypes for a more natural and successful prairie restoration.” Said Dave Wedin.
Grasslands in Nebraska reside on both public and private lands. It is important to consider what the space will be used for as well as what plants should be incorporated. The goal is to create land that is workable, sustains pollinator and wildlife habitat, and provides a high-diversity landscape that fits the purpose of the area. One hope that Wedin has is to get people to work together to create landscapes that compliment each other. It is often more important to have larger areas of land (at least a square mile) rather than to have smaller tracts with more variety of plants. So if landowners work together to create a larger area, prairie restoration will be more successful.
“People on both private and public land have similar goals, and if we all work together, grassland restoration projects will become much more effective.” Said Dave Wedin.
Prairie restoration is more than looking to the past and trying to create land that resembles the historical definition of the prairie. Prairie restoration has developed into creating landscapes that embodies the native landscape, while still providing usable, workable land for farmers, ranchers, and communities. The biggest impact of prairie restoration is soil health and improved land management. Nebraska’s grasslands have changed dramatically and will continue to do so, but now with the hope that the trend is positive rather than negative.
Wedin highly recommends visiting parks and the prairie land that has been part of his prairie restoration projects. Bob-Cat Prairie, just outside of Lincoln, Nebr. is open to the public and has a large variety of native grass and prairie plants. There are also resources and signage available at many prairie parks. A few other prairies located in Lincoln, include Spring-Creek Prairie and the “untouched” Nine-Mile Prairie. For more information visit www.prairienebraska.org or reach out to your local Nebraska Extension agent.
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