U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey

Restoration of Disturbed Pond-cypress Savannas, Big Cypress National PreserveJames R. SnyderUSGS, Florida Integrated Science Center

G. Ronnie BestUSGS, Greater Everglades PES

Susan Vince

Big Cypress National Preserve

Approximately 730,000 acres in southwest FloridaSubsurface mineral rights privately ownedTwo active oil fields in Big Cypress and interest in further exploration

Pond-cypress savanna

Cypress savanna a common habitat with high likelihood of disturbanceCharacterized by stands of pond-cypress with well-developed, graminoid herb layer

Ranges from very open stands of stunted cypress with sparse herb layer to more dense stands of larger treesHerb layer composed of short-hydroperiod wet prairie species

Covers nearly 50% of Big Cypress Nat. Pres.

Cypress Savanna

Pond-cypress, Taxodium ascendens

Restoration question

How to re-establish cypress savanna on sites disturbed by oil development

Experimental design

Three substratesResidual limerock fillCommercially available sand fillSurface soil from local quarry operation

Three revegetation treatmentsPlanted 10 native speciesSpreading of donor mulch materialControl, or passive revegetation

Bass

Patten

Capelletti

Sand Limerock SoilI II II II II II II II I

--- Border of substrate

2x2m planting and sampling subplot

Planted

Control

Mulch

10 m

20 m

Fill pad removal at Capelletti site

Spreading sand substrate

Site preparation complete

Capelletti site after mulch treatment

Capelletti site

SandLimerock

Soil

MulchMulch

Mulch

Patten site

Sand

LimerockSoil

MulchMulch

Mulch

Bass 5-2 site

Sand

Limerock

Soil

Mulch

Mulch

Mulch

Propogation method

Planting density

Scientific name Common name (no./m²)

TreeTaxodium ascendens Pond-cypress seed germination 0.25

ShrubMyrica cerifera Wax myrtle seed germination 0.125Stillingia aquatica Corkwood field collection 0.125

ForbPluchea rosea Rosy camphorweed field collection 0.25

GrassMuhlenbergia filipes Gulfhairawn muhly vegetative division 1.0Paspalum monostachyum Gulfdune paspalum field collection 1.0Schizachyrium rhizomatum Florida little bluestem field collection 1.0

SedgeDichromena colorata Starrush whitetop vegetative division 1.0Rhynchospora divergens Spreading beaksedge seed germination 1.0Rhynchospora microcarpa Southern beaksedge seed germination 1.0

Species

Species used in planted revegetation treatment

Planting at Capelletti site July 1989

Planting treatment in progress

Planting at Capelletti site

GEER 2008 Co-chair

Capelletti site at establishment, July 1989

Sampling effort

Species composition and percent cover estimated 1/90, 6/90, 1/91, 5/91, 5/92, and 5/04

Sampled one 0.1 m2 quadrat per 2x2 m cell, 50 samples per treatment

Cypress heights measured 1/90, 5/90, 1/91, 5/91, 5/92, 7/93, 4/95, 6/00, 6/03, and 5/08

DBH measured beginning in 6/03 and trees tagged

Preparing to sample at end of first wet season

Capelletti sand planted plot 6 months

0.00

0.10

0.20

0.30

0.40

0.50

0.60

0.70

0.80

0.90

1.00

Mean Survival of Planted Species

Survivorship of planted cypress trees

0

20

40

60

80

100

0 5 10 15 20

Perc

ent

Years after planting

Planted Pond-cypress Survival

0.0

100.0

200.0

300.0

400.0

500.0

600.0

0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0

Hei

ght

(cm

)

Age (years)

Bass

Limerock

Sand

Soil

0.0

100.0

200.0

300.0

400.0

500.0

600.0

0 5 10 15 20

Hei

ght

(cm

)

Age (years)

Patten

Limerock

Sand

Soil

0.0

100.0

200.0

300.0

400.0

500.0

600.0

0 5 10 15 20

Hei

ght

(cm

)

Age (years)

Capelletti

Limerock

Sand

SoilHeight growth of planted pond-cypress

Planted pond-cypress

Nineteen years after planting, tallest tree just over 7 m tallTen trees had DBH >10 cmLargest diameter 14.8 cmBest growth in soil substrate at Patten site

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

Bass 5-2 Patten Capelletti

Cypress recruitment by treatment

Control Mulch Planted

Recruitment of pond-cypress after 14 years

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

Bass 5-2 Patten Capelletti

Cypress recruitment by substrate

Sand Soil Limestone

Recruitment of pond-cypress after 14 years

Capelletti sand planted treatment year one, 6/1990

Capelletti sand planted treatment year three, 6/1992

Capelletti sand planted treatment year fifteen, 6/2004

Capelletti limerock planted 2008

Bass soil planted 2008

Undisturbed cypress savanna

Number of species in herb layer ranged from 22 to 40 at the three sites and averaged 29 species

Cover ranged from 20.5 to 41.2 and averaged 30.4 %

Number of species year 15

Limerock Sand Soil

26 24

3328

3935

13

22

37

BassControl Mulch Planted

Limerock Sand Soil

16

2528

18

31

43

16

2630

PattenControl Mulch Planted

Limerock Sand Soil

2318

35

27 25

50

25 26

37

CapellettiControl Mulch Planted

Limerock Sand Soil

21.7 22.3

32.0

24.3

31.7

42.7

18.0

24.7

34.7

Mean all sitesControl Mulch Planted

Percent cover of all treatments year 15

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Limerock Sand Soil

Perc

ent c

over

Bass

Control

Mulch

Planted

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Limerock Sand Soil

Perc

ent c

over

Patten

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Limerock Sand Soil

Perc

ent c

over

Capelletti

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Limerock Sand Soil

Perc

ent c

over

Mean all sites

Control

Mulch

Planted

Winners and losers after 15 years

Fate of planted species mixedSome disappeared

Muhly and bluestem grasses goneWax myrtle nearly absent

Some did very wellPaspalum was a dominant species in the planted treatments but uncommon elsewhereCypress and corkwood were common on all treatments

Pluchea had greater frequency in mulched plots than planted plots Sedges variable and not restricted to planted plots

Several species are common on study plots but not in undisturbed cypress savanna

Bacopa caroliniana, Eleocharis baldwinii, and E. cellulosa are good examples Phragmites australis on soil at Patten siteMany introduced via mulch or substrates

Only one non-native species significantPanicum repens on sand at Capelletti

How to restore?

Fifteen years after treatments applied, all fall within range of native cypress savanna in terms of cover and species richness

“Best” method not clearPlanting clearly established some of the dominant speciesMulch treatment introduced high diversity of species but not necessarily local dominantsPassive revegetation worked reasonably well but benefited from proximity to seed sourcesSoil substrate was best but others were satisfactoryPending multivariate analyses will help clarify trajectories of species composition

Acknowledgements

• Pete Sleszynski did the plant propagating and seed bank work among other things

• Pete Roth, NPS, was the master heavy equipment operator who set up plots

• Numerous field assistants from UF Center for Wetlands helped with planting

• Lisa Spier, John DeLapp, Renee Beymer, Sara Robinson, Robin Keith, and TJ Hilton assisted with data collection

• Funding was provided by the National Park Service

Capelletti site three years after establishment