Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T08:18:08.938Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Browsing for conservation: Springtime forage value of midstory shrubs of degraded oak savannas in southern Wisconsin

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 October 2009

Janet Hedtcke ,
Joshua Posner ,
Martha Rosemeyer  and
Ken Albrecht
Janet Hedtcke*
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Joshua Posner
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Martha Rosemeyer
Affiliation:
Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA, USA.
Ken Albrecht
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
*
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Oak (Quercus spp.) savanna is a rare and dwindling ecosystem primarily due to the clearing of vast areas for agriculture and encroachment of woody midstory shrubs in the remnant areas. There is interest in introducing controlled grazing to re-open these ecologically sensitive semi-wooded areas. We report the forage quality and diet selection by Scottish Highland cattle (Bos taurus spp.), a breed recognized for their browsing behavior, of the most common shrubs in this ecosystem. Shrub species sampled included prickly ash (Xanthoxylem americana Mill), gooseberry (Ribes missouriense Nutt.), gray dogwood (Cornus racemesa L.), multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora Thunb. ex Murr.), black or red raspberry (Rubus spp.) and wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa L). Leaf biomass was collected in June 2001 and 2002 and analyzed for forage quality. Animal observations showed that diet included a fairly even mixture of shrub leaves, grass and herbaceous forbs. Prickly ash and raspberry were most frequently browsed and had the highest crude protein (CP; 190 g kg−1), while multiflora rose and gray dogwood, neither highly browsed upon, had the lowest levels of CP (120 g kg−1). All shrubs had high in-vitro true digestibility, with prickly ash approaching 850 g kg−1 (as compared to 688 g kg−1 for mature alfalfa). The quality of the shrub layer in late spring is adequate to provide nutritional support for beef cattle as long as dry matter intake is not limited. Integrating shrubs into the rotation could expand the pasture base by providing feed at a time when cool-season pastures are typically quasi-dormant.

Keywords

managed grazingScottish Highland cattlebrowseagro-ecologybramblesscrub
Type
Research Papers
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 24 , Issue 4 , December 2009 , pp. 293 - 299
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1Werner, P.A., Walker, B.H., and Stott, P.A. 1990. Introduction: Savanna ecology and management: Australian perspectives and intercontinental comparisons. Journal of Biogeography 17:343–344.Google Scholar
2Packard, S. and Mutel, C.F. (eds). 1997. The Tallgrass Restoration Handbook for Prairies Savannas and Woodlands. Island Press, Washington, DC. p. 19–89.Google Scholar
3Nuzzo, V. 1986. Extent and status of Midwest oak savanna: pre-settlement and 1985. Natural Areas Journal 6:6–36.Google Scholar
4Schaffner, J.H. 1938. Spreading of Opuntia in overgrazed pastures in Kansas. Ecology 19:348–350.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5Teague, W.R. and Dowhower, S.L. 2003. Patch dynamics under rotational and continuous grazing management in large heterogeneous paddocks. Journal of Arid Environments 53:211–229.Google Scholar
6Anderson, R.C. 1998. Overview of Midwestern oak savanna. Transactions of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences Arts and Letters 86:1–18.Google Scholar
7Bowles, M.L. and McBride, J.L. 1998. Vegetation composition structure and chronological change in a decadent Midwestern North American savanna remnant. Natural Areas Journal 18:14–27.Google Scholar
8Archibald, S.W., Bond, J., Stock, W.D., and Fairbanks, D.H.K. 2005. Shaping the landscape: fire–grazer interactions in an African savanna. Ecological Applications 15:96–109.Google Scholar
9Bailey, A.W., Irving, B.D., and Fitzgerald, R.D. 1990. Regeneration of woody species following burning and grazing in Aspen parkland. Journal of Range Management 43:212–216.Google Scholar
10Archer, S. 1989. Have southern Texas savannas been converted to woodlands in recent history? American Naturalist 134:545–561.Google Scholar
11Moleele, N.M. 1998. Encroacher woody plant browse as feed for cattle: cattle diet composition for three seasons at Olifants Drift south-east Botswana. Journal of Arid Environments 40:255–268.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12Haney, A. and Apfelbaum, S.I. 1993. Characterization of Midwestern oak savanna. In Stearns, F. and Holland, K. (eds). Proceedings of the Midwest Oak Savanna Conference, 20 February 1993, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL. US Environmental Protection Agency, Great Lakes National Program Office, Chicago, IL.Google Scholar
13Williams, A.H. 1997. In praise of grazing. Restoration and Management Notes 15:116–118.Google Scholar
14Bronny, C. 1989. One-two punch: grazing history and the recovery potential of oak savannas. Restoration and Management Notes 7:73–76.Google Scholar
15Everitt, J.H., Gonzalez, C.L., Scott, G., and Dahl, B.E. 1981. Seasonal food preferences of cattle on native range in the south Texas plains. Journal of Range Management 34:384–388.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16Turner, K.E. and Foster, J.G. 2000. Nutritive value of some common browse species. In Phillips, M. and Terrill, T. (eds). Proceedings/Reports of the American Forage and Grassland Council and the 37th North American Alfalfa Improvement Conference, 16–19 July 2000, Volume 9, Madison, WI. American Forage and Grassland Council, Georgetown, Texas. p. 49.Google Scholar
17Gonzalez, C.L. and Everitt, J.H. 1982. Nutrient contents of major food plants eaten by cattle in the south Texas plains. Journal of Range Management 35:733–736.Google Scholar
18Balogun, R.O., Jones, R., and Holmes, J.H.G. 1998. Digestibility of some tropical browse species varying in tannin content. Animal Feed Science and Technology 76:77–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
19Oduguwa, O.O., Ikeobi, C.O.N., Oduguwa, V.O., and Oyedele, O.O. 1997. Chemical evaluation of foliage of some tropical leguminous trees and shrubs as fodder. Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science 20:31–34.Google Scholar
20Jung, H.G. 2005. Lignin and forage digestibility symposium. Crop Science 45(3):811–839.Google Scholar
21Lyman, T.D., Provenza, F.D., and Villalba, J.J. 2008. Sheep foraging behavior in response to interactions among alkaloids tannins and saponins. Journal of Science Food and Agriculture 88:824–831.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
22Howe, H. 1999. Dominance, diversity, and grazing in tallgrass restoration. Ecological Restoration 17:59–66.Google Scholar
23Knapp, A.K., Blair, J.M., Briggs, J.M., Collins, S.L., Hartnett, D.C., Johnson, L.C., and Towne, E.G. 1999. The keystone role of bison in North American tallgrass prairie. BioScience 49(1):39–50.Google Scholar
24van der Bilt, E.W.G. 1995. Highland cattle in the Netherlands. Bagpipe July:30–32.Google Scholar
25van Wieren, S.E. 1995. The potential role of large herbivores in nature conservation and extensive land use in Europe. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 56(s1):11–23.Google Scholar
26Harrington, J.A. and Kathol, E. 2009. Responses of shrub midstory and herbaceous layers to managed grazing and fire in a North American savanna (oak woodland) and prairie landscape. Restoration Ecology 17(2):234–244.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
27Hedtcke, J.L., Posner, J.L., and Rosemeyer, M. 2006. Using cattle to reduce oak savanna understory shrub abundance: stocking rates and weight gains. In Egan, D. and Harrington, J. (eds). Proceedings of the Nineteenth North American Prairie Conference, 8–12 August 2004, Madison, WI. University of Wisconsin-Madison. p. 188–191. Available at Web site http://wicst.wisc.edu/core-systems-trial/prairie-establishment/using-cattle-to-reduce-oak-savanna-understory-shrub-abundance-stocking-rates-and-weight-gains/ (verified 12 October 2009).Google Scholar
28Will-Wolf, S. and Stearns, F. 1999. Dry soil oak savanna in the Great Lakes region. In Anderson, R.C., Fralish, J.S., and Baskin, J.M. (eds). Savanna Barrens and Rock Outcrop Plant Communities of North America. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. p. 135–154.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
29Bader, B.J. 2001. Developing a species list for oak savanna/oak woodland restoration. Ecological Restoration 19:242–250.Google Scholar
30Association of Official Analysts and Chemists (AOAC). 1990. Protein (crude) determination in animal feed: copper catalyst Kjeldahl method (98413). Official Methods of Analysis, 15th ed. AOAC.Google Scholar
31Goering, H.K. and van Soest, P.J. 1970. Forage Fiber Analysis (Apparatus Reagents Procedures and Some Applications). USDA-ARS Agriculture Handbook No. 379.Google Scholar
32van Soest, P.J., Robertson, J.B., and Lewis, B.A. 1991. Methods for dietary fiber neutral detergent fiber and non-starch polysaccharides in relation to animal nutrition. Journal of Dairy Science 74:3583–3597.Google Scholar
33Mertens, D.R. 2002. Gravimetric determination of amylase-treated neutral detergent fiber in feeds using refluxing in beakers or crucibles: collaborative study. Journal of the AOAC International 85:1217–1240.Google ScholarPubMed
34Tilley, J.M. and Terry, V. 1963. A two-stage technique for the digestion of forage crops. Journal of British Grassland Society 118:104–111.Google Scholar
35Marten, G.C. and Barnes, R.F. 1979. Prediction of energy digestibility of forages with in-vitro rumen fermentation and fungal enzyme systems. In Pigden, W.J., Balch, C.C., and Graham, M. (eds). Proceeding of the International Workshop on Standardization Analytical Methodology Feeds, 12–14 March 1979, Unipub, New York. International Development Research Centre-134e, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. p. 61–71.Google Scholar
36Mitchell, J.E. and Rodgers, R.T. 1985. Food habits and distribution of cattle on a forest and pasture range in Northern Idaho. Journal of Range Management 38:314–220.Google Scholar
37National Research Council. 1996. Nutritional Requirements of Beef Cattle, Seventh revised edition. National Academy Press, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
38Ganskopp, D., Svejcar, T., Taylor, F., Farstvedt, J. and Paintner, K. 1999. Seasonal cattle management in 3 to 5 year old bitterbrush stands. Journal of Range Management 52:166–173.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
39Barnes, R.F., Miller, D.A., and Nelson, C.J. (eds). 1995. Forages Volumes I and II. Iowa State University Press, Ames, IA.Google Scholar
40Moser, L.E., Buxton, D.R., and Casler, M.D. (eds). 1996. Cool-season forage grasses. American Society of Agronomy, Inc., Crop Science Society of America, Inc., Soil Science Society of American, Inc., Madison, WI.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
41Coppedge, B.R. and Shaw, J.H. 1997. Effects of horning and rubbing behavior by bison (Bison bison) on woody vegetation in a tallgrass prairie landscape. The American Midland Naturalist 138:189–196.Google Scholar