KUCHLER TYPE VALUE AND USE
KUCHLER TYPE: Nebraska sandhills prairie



FORESTRY VALUES : 
In the Niobrara River Valley, ponderosa pine was historically restricted
to canyon slopes by fire and competition from grasses.  In the
postsettlement period, fire frequency has decreased and grazing has
reduced grass cover, allowing ponderosa pine to establish in new areas
away from canyon slopes.  This expansion is likely to continue in the
absence of frequent fire [43].  Ponderosa pine stands also originated in
the early twentieth century, when ponderosa pine was planted in many
areas of the Nebraska sandhills prairie as an experiment to test the
assertions of Bessey, who hypothesized that ponderosa pine was present
on the sandhills in an earlier period [39].


RANGE VALUES : 
Nebraska sandhills prairie is valued primarily for cattle range [9].  It
is one of the major livestock producing grasslands [13].  The sandy soil
is too unstable to support much cultivation [9,13,24,47].


WILDLIFE VALUES : 



OTHER VALUES : 



MANAGEMENT CONCERNS : 
The floristic composition of Nebraska sandhills prairie has changed
dramatically in the last century.  This change is partly explained by
the near-extirpation of American bison (and its complete loss from
Nebraska sandhills prairie) [49].  Domestic cattle grazing and the
continued or increased presence of pronghorn and deer create impacts
that are different in nature and intensity from those that were created
by the bison [1,49].  Changes in species composition and total cover
have occurred since the early 1900's [7].  A 1940 report stated that the
proportions of little bluestem, sand bluestem, and blowout grass were
lower than in the early 1900's, whereas the proportions of sand dropseed
and sandhill muhly were higher.  The decline of little bluestem as
reported in 1940 was probably a result of the great drought of the
1930's [7].

Extensive cattle grazing of the Nebraska sandhills prairie began in the
early 1900's and is still practiced.  Decreasers with grazing include
blowout grass, junegrass (Koeleria macrantha), sand bluestem, and sand
lovegrass.  Increasers include blue grama, hairy grama, little bluestem,
prairie sandreed, needle-and-thread grass, sand dropseed, and sandhill
muhly [9].

Degeneration of Nebraska sandhills prairie due to overgrazing is not
severe; the fragility of the soil encouraged more caution about grazing
than was practiced on firmer soils [42].  Nebraska sandhills prairie
productivity improved during the first half of the twentieth century in
contrast to the deterioration of many other grazing lands in the same
period [13].

A study evaluated the effects of summer versus spring mowing and burning
on needlegrass-bluestem (Stipa-Andropogon) prairie in eastern Nebraska.
Summer mowing favors the dominant porcupine grass (Stipa spartea), a
cool-season species, whereas spring treatments favor the warm-season
grasses such as big bluestem.  Canopy cover and number and height of
flowering stems were measured.  Spring mowing and spring burning effects
were more similar to each other than they were to summer mowing effects
[27].

Related categories for Kuchler Type: Nebraska sandhills prairie