Thatch Depth Data From Kjaer et al. (2024)

The data in this file were collected as part of an observational study that examined differences in Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) thatch between different grazing practices in south-central North Dakota. Briefly, thatch is comprised of a loosely compressed mix of decaying litter, buds, dead stems, and portions of the root mat that accumulate over time following Kentucky bluegrass invasion. We collected thatch depth samples after preak growing season in 2021 along 96 60 meter transects in 4 season-long continuous grazing pastures, 4 modified twice-over rest-rotational grazing pastures (MTORG), and 4 patch-burn grazig pastures as well as 12 20 meter transects in an ungrazed/idled pasture (see Kjaer et al. 2024 for full description of each treatment). Both the patch-burn grazing and MTORG pastures were designed to increase landscape-level heterogeneity and promote biodiversity. Patch-burn grazing created heterogeneity throught the application of prescribed fire in discrete patches (16 ha patches), while MTORG created heterogeneity by altering the time cattle spent in a paddock creating a heavy-use (> 60% degree of disappearance), a full-use (40-60% degree of disappearance), a moderate-use (20-40% degree of disappearance), and a rested paddock (no use). In all grazed treatments, thatch was sampled every other meter while in the idled pasture, thatch was sampled every five meters. All data were collected, entered, and processed by ELK.