Meet the Researcher Webinar - Tallgrass Prairie and Oak Savanna Fire Science Consortium
Measuring Tallgrass Prairie Responses to Disturbance Type and Timing to Improve Predictability During Restoration
Tuesday, March 24, 2026 - 10am PT/1pm ET
Speaker: Michelle Homann
Michelle Homann is a Ph.D. candidate from the University of Wisconsin – Madison Department of Integrative Biology, and she studies the effects of management decisions on restored tallgrass prairie plant communities.
Abstract
Understanding plant community responses to disturbance is necessary to improve the predictability of restoration outcomes. Although fires in tallgrass prairies historically occurred throughout the growing season, prescribed fires are often conducted in either spring or fall. These seasonal burns remove living plant material and leaf litter at different times of year, which can have different effects on how plants respond to disturbance. Because tallgrass prairie species are long-lived perennials, it can take years to see how management affects the plant community. To better understand short-term responses, we collected information about how plants grew after several years of repeated disturbance in the same season (fall mow, fall burn, spring burn, or undisturbed). We conducted this experiment in a tallgrass prairie that was restored from corn and soy rotational agriculture via seeding. We measured when plants came up in spring and how fast they grew. In a later year, we measured aboveground productivity. Here, we will discuss the results of this research and their implications for management. Additionally, input from people who do hands-on restoration work helps guide research questions that will actually be useful to managers, so we hope to discuss the mismatch between research that is being done and the information that managers actually need.
In this new, data-light, discussion-heavy format, the intent is to spend more time discussing outcomes and applications than traditional research webinars and make more space for our audience to ask questions.
