Data from: Annual understory plant recovery dynamics in a temperate woodland mosaic during a decade of ecological restoration

Temperate woodlands are one of the world’s ecosystems in greatest need of
ecological restoration, but relatively little is known about their
floristic recovery dynamics over decadal timescales. From 2000 to 2012, we
monitored understory plant communities in a woodland mosaic in
Missouri, USA, as it underwent restoration via prescribed,
dormant-season burning and mechanical thinning of red cedar (Juniperus
virginiana) and exotic shrubs. Native species richness increased linearly
by 36% over this time period, driven primarily by an influx of forb
species in thin-soiled upland areas where red cedar was removed. Floristic
quality also increased with differential dynamics across local
communities; forest floristic quality saturated quickly whereas floristic
quality increased gradually over the time series in woodlands and red
cedar–dominated woodlands. Species that underlay these patterns were
mainly ruderal or matrix forbs and grasses with little dependence on
intact, undisturbed habitats. In contrast, conservative species were rare
or absent. This case study suggests that understory plant recovery
dynamics may be slower in harsher and more degraded sites and faster in
more mesic sites within a woodland mosaic. Our observations set a
benchmark for woodland understory plant recovery dynamics and indicate
that a future restoration challenge is to prioritize the managed
translocation of dispersal-limited, conservative species.