KUCHLER TYPE VALUE AND USE
KUCHLER TYPE: Southern cordgrass prairie



FORESTRY VALUES : 
NO-ENTRY


RANGE VALUES : 
Early reports of smooth cordgrass state that it was not a valuable
forage species [1].  However, more recent reports rank smooth cordgrass
as highly palatable for cattle [4,8].  Productivity is listed as 9,000
to 12,000 pounds per acre [4].


WILDLIFE VALUES : 
The southern cordgrass prairie is important habitat for many waterfowl
and shorebird species, as well as for fish, alligators, and muskrats
[7,10]. Smooth coordgrass provides valuable food for geese [8].


OTHER VALUES : 
Some of the land area in the southern cordgrass prairie is used for
growing rice and forage (principally alfalfa and grasses) [4].  Many
wildlife refuges along the coast provide wildlife viewing opportunities
as well as fishing, hunting, and trapping [4,13]. Oil and gas drilling
also takes place off the southern cordgrass prairie coast [13].


MANAGEMENT CONCERNS : 
Techniques for cleaning up oil spills in smooth cordgrass stands in
Texas have been examined [5].

The Louisiana coastline suffers from severe management problems which
have led to the loss of wildlife and fisheries habitat and subsequently
affected local economies.  Problems include rising sea levels; land
subsidence; conversion of freshwater marshes to saltwater marshes and
vice versa; delta and barrier island erosion; changing shorelines, flood
and drainage patterns; and an artificial system of canals and levees.
About 40 percent of the U.S. coastal wetlands are found in Louisiana,
the loss of which occurs at a rate of 130 square kilometers per year
[13].

Related categories for Kuchler Type: Southern cordgrass prairie