Habitat description
Open habitats typically dominated by cool-season grasses in agricultural settings. These are often hayfields, planted with species such as timothy, orchard grass and broome. Other grass-like herbs and flowering plants are often present, possibly with a low density of shrubs, and some cultural grasslands are no longer being actively farmed. Learn more about the cultural grassland natural community.
Characteristic plants and animals
Cultural grasslands may provide important habitat for uncommon grassland birds, particularly bobolink, eastern meadowlark and savanna sparrow. In certain settings, these grasslands may also support American bittern and wood turtle. View a complete list of Species of Greatest Conservation Need associated with this habitat.
Associated habitats
This habitat frequently occurs adjacent to cultural shrublands and young forests and can also be a standalone habitat. Cultural grassland has structural similarities to dry grasslands and heathlands but lacks many of the highly specialized rare species associated with that habitat.
Ecological processes
This habitat needs regular disturbance, often in the form of mowing, to prevent woody vegetation and clonal forbs from becoming dominant.
Threats
Development is a major threat leading to habitat loss and fragmentation. A lack of management (e.g., mowing or prescribed fire) leading to woody succession and invasive species is a major threat. Mowing regimes that are incompatible with grassland birds and conversion to other cropland types are also threats. Off-road vehicles and other forms of human disturbance may also be threats in some cases.
Climate change is not likely to be a threat to cultural grasslands because they are intensely managed and comprised of generalist species.
Conservation actions
- Proactive habitat protection: Protect cultural grasslands in conjunction with other associated habitats to maintain healthy and resilient landscapes for people and biodiversity conservation. Prioritize sites supporting state-listed animals and plants and other Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN), as well as other protection priorities identified in BioMap and other conservation planning tools (e.g., municipal open space plans).
- Habitat restoration and management: See recommendations below.
- Law and policy: Regulate and limit the impacts of development. Innovative approaches to incentivizing the maintenance of compatible agricultural activities should be considered.
- Conservation planning: Include key cultural grasslands, particularly relatively large occurrences, in conservation planning efforts at multiple spatial scales. (See BioMap as an example.)
- Monitoring and research: Monitor the health and trends of SGCN populations, plant communities, and other wildlife. Monitoring the effectiveness of habitat restoration efforts. Conduct targeted research to improve habitat and population management.
- Public outreach: Include information about the role of cultural grasslands in biodiversity conservation, climate resiliency, and water resource protection as part of broader communication strategies.
Restoration & management recommendations
Cultural grasslands that are being managed for grassland birds should always be as large as possible in order to maximize their benefit to area sensitive grassland birds. As many nesting grassland birds also avoid forest edges, patches approximating a circle or square shape with a high ratio of interior to edge habitat are ideal. In general, unfragmented patches greater than 5 acres are necessary to support bobolinks, and patches greater than 20 acres are necessary to support eastern meadowlarks. Larger patches generally support increasingly dense populations of grassland birds. Although the primary focus of these recommendations is on grassland bird management, recommendations related to general maintenance of cultural grasslands is also provided.
Before undertaking a project, and determining whether to manage for grassland birds, it is important to establish clear goals that are compatible with site conditions. Factors to consider include identifying the resources required for restoration and long-term maintenance, and securing community, stakeholder, and institutional support (see habitat management priorities and planning). For example, is the patch large enough, and if not, can it be expanded by defragmentation (removing hedgerows, connection to adjacent fields, etc.)? Is the field currently being managed by a farmer, and can a conservation friendly lease with a farmer be negotiated? Is the field currently a high integrity hay crop, or are there issues with woody vegetation, clonal forbs and invasive species? Many cultural grasslands are managed by a leasing farmer, resulting in a potential conflict between agricultural products and conservation targets (i.e., the need to delay mowing to support grassland birds). Delayed mowing is important for grassland bird reproductive success but can result in forgone potential income.
It is important to note that, other than potential conflicts between mowing schedules and grassland bird nesting success, a well-managed hay field that produces high quality hay is the ideal setting for the suite of grassland birds that cultural grasslands support. Ensuring a mowing schedule that allows most breeding pairs to fledge their young should always be the priority, but otherwise, managers (usually farmers) should always be encouraged to maintain these fields as high-quality hay fields. This can mean allowing reasonable soil amendments, herbicide control of competing vegetation, etc. This will also often mean not attempting to manage for too broad a suite of species. For example, organizations may be tempted to plant/encourage native forbs within the core fields to support pollinators, but this will ultimately result in the lessening of the field’s capacity to support grassland birds. If supporting robust populations of grassland birds is the primary goal of the cultural grasslands, then efforts to achieve additional conservation goals should occur in peripheral locations.
There are two primary management considerations when managing cultural grasslands for grassland birds: managing the vegetation community; and managing the potential conflicts between agricultural needs and grassland birds (see grassland bird management, for more information).
- If the site is producing hay for agriculture, allow the farmer to produce the best hay crop possible while still achieving your conservation goals. In the end, the better the condition of the hay field for the farmer, the better habitat it will provide for obligate grassland birds. In the case of managing cultural grasslands for conservation, the best hay crop is one that is dominated by timothy and orchard grass.
- Often the most difficult challenge in managing cultural grasslands for grassland birds is delaying the first mowing of a field while still satisfying a leasing farmer’s agricultural goals. Reasonable compromises here can be made that benefit both interests. Allowing a first mow after the first week of July will allow for most bobolinks and first broods of meadowlarks to fledge and will allow the farmer additional high-quality cuttings through the remainder of the summer.
- Delaying the first mowing too late into the year is detrimental to the long-term quality of the habitat by allowing for the establishment of woody vegetation and clonal forbs. Repeated growing season mowing after the first cut will help to greatly reduce the establishment of woody vegetation and clonal forbs. Land managers should require that a field is cut at least once annually during the post-fledging growing season and encourage multiple post-fledging cuttings when possible.
- If woody vegetation and clonal forbs do become established in a field, invasive plant control with selective herbicide may be needed to eliminate these species. Invasive species, like reed canary grass and Canada thistle, can be devasting to a field community, and should also be immediately treated with herbicide.
- The perceived size of a grassland is critical for supporting the highest density of grassland birds possible. Visual defragmentation of fields, achieved by removing hedgerows, softening forested edges, selecting fields on hilltops, and connecting sightlines to adjacent open lands, can have an enormous impact in increasing the perceived size of a field to grassland birds.
- Grass/hay production should be the focus of cultural grasslands managed for grassland birds. Planting or allowing for interstitial wildflowers as pollinator habitat is detrimental to grassland bird habitat and should not occur in the core of the grassland.
- Be aware of population sinks. Never improve a field for grassland birds unless long-term management is assured. Otherwise, attracting these species to a site where early mowing will occur will result in prolonged failed nesting productivity and an acceleration of population declines.
- If a site is too small to support grassland birds, or the manager has other goals such as maintaining pollinator habitat, then the primary management requirements are mowing and invasives control. Growing season mowing should be deployed at least occasionally to prevent overdominance of woody plants and clonal forbs, possibly on a rotation to maintain growing season habitat (e.g. flowering forbs) across portions of the site.