Restoration Seminar

Restoration work taking place at Big Creek.\Photo courtesy of MidCoast Watersheds Council.

The Hatfield Marine Science Center Research Seminar Series presents an online talk on restoration ecology.  David Thomson, a restoration specialist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ecological Services, will speak on “Learning by Watching the Grass Grow—Lessons from a Decade of Applied Restoration Research.”  The seminar, free and open to all, takes place on Thursday, Feb. 4, at 3:30 p.m. 

The speaker’s description of his subject: 

“Ten years of preparing for and implementing projects made it abundantly clear, as each project was followed by the thought “I didn’t expect this result,” that Restoration Ecology is a very young science. The past decade started with simple questions like why are we only seeding grasses, entered some difficult territory trying to grow plants during a drought, and went off the rails a bit trying to downscale monitoring, partially in order to upscale acreages from tens to hundreds. Although restoration of herbaceous communities can take up to a decade to reach quasi-equilibrium (a state formerly known as climax) we did see clear signs of progress: we saw pioneer species perform well from seed, almost certainly reducing the ability of undesirable species to establish (aka direct competition); signs of succession, as perennial dominants expanded their range at the expense of said pioneer (mostly) annuals; natural recruitment of sown or planted species, the polite way to discuss reproduction; and more.”

For the live broadcast of this virtual seminar, go here.

Password: 972587 or call +1-971-247-1195 US Meeting ID: 945 5573 1151