RIV07 Seeding rates woody removal of a tallgrass prairie stream and riparian zone after a decade of woody vegetation removal

In fall of 2010 in watershed N2B ( 39.088976°, -96.588599°), we established plant community plots to assess the potential ability of the riparian zone to shift to a grassland state based on cutting alone and cutting with replanting.  The three treatments were 1) naturally open riparian grassland before the removal, 2) areas cleared of woody vegetation, and 3) areas cleared of woody vegetation and seeded with prairie plant species. The addition of the seeded treatment was designed to address if recovery of grassland vegetation is hindered by propagule limitation. The seeded and non-seeded removal plots were adjacent to each other and randomly assigned. In each community type, there were four plots, each of which was 10 m parallel along and 3 m perpendicular to the stream channel. Each plot had four plant composition transects along which we sampled four one m2 subplots along each transect. Vegetative cover of vascular plant species was determined using a modified Daubenmire scale (Gibson and Hulbert 1987).