The Soak Creek Savanna Restoration Project consists of approximately 375 acres that had been clear cut on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee. The Savanna Restoration Project is part of a nearly 2,000 acre tract that was donated by George Lindemann to TennGreen Land Conservancy in 2020. Approximately half of the Savanna Restoration Project area was recently burned, while the other half was burned in 2021. This project is being conducted in conjunction with TennGreen Land Conservancy, Panther Creek Forestry (PCF), and Austin Peay State University (APSU).
This spring we’ve had several teams conducting surveys of the Soak Creek Savanna Restoration site to document vegetation in the restored grasslands and the mammals using the area. Members of the survey teams included Drs. Catherine Haase and Evan Rehm (APSU Assistant Professors and SGI Research Associates), Sarah Krueger and Gabriella LeFevre (APSU / SGI graduate students), Aurelia Christy and Summer Long (APSU undergraduate students and SGI interns), and Kevin England (SGI Research Associate and contractor). They used a variety of techniques in those surveys and documented some interesting findings.
Part of the recently burned half of the site - notice the charred logs in foreground. Photo credit: Evan Rhem
Typical taller stature and more shrubby vegetation of the half of the site that was burned in 2021. Photo credit: Evan Rhem
Camera traps
Camera traps make use of what are more commonly known as trail cameras. These cameras are motion-triggered and capture images (still or video) of the animals using the area. Cameras were deployed in March of 2022 and will remain on the site until fall 2023. So far, some of the animals that have been recorded on the camera traps are bobcats, coyote, long-tailed weasel, deer, fox, raccoon, armadillo, opossum, turkey, red-tailed hawk, white-footed deer mouse, and at least one black bear!
A bobcat recorded at the site by one of the camera traps. Photo credit: Evan Rhem
A coyote that was captured walking down the road at dusk by the camera trap. Photo credit: Evan Rhem
Small mammal live traps
For 5 days in May the team ran two plots of small mammal live traps in a recently burned area and an area burned last year. These traps allow us to capture rodents and other small mammals, tag, and release them unharmed. We can use the data from these surveys to not only discover which species are using the area, but also estimate population sizes for those species. The traps are baited with a mix of peanut butter and oats and set at night to be checked in the morning. Unfortunately, the team only caught two mice, which is not that surprising given the abundance of larger predators in the area as captured by our cameras.
Aurelia checking one of the small mammal traps. Photo credit: Catherine Haase
Bat acoustic surveys
Bat acoustic surveys were also conducted for 5 days in May. These surveys use a recorder that kind of works like a camera trap but for the echolocation calls of bats. The recorders were placed along roadways and streams - areas where bats tend to fly - and recorded the calls of passing bats. Bat calls are like bird calls in that different species have different calls and can be used to determine what species are in the area without having to actually see the species. The acoustic surveys recorded calls from big brown bats, red bats, silver-haired bats, and hoary bats.
One of the acoustical recorders on a pole that was used to record bat calls at the site. Photo credit: Sarah Krueger
Sonograms, or visual illustrations, of the ultrasonic calls for two of the bat species recorded at the site. Photo credit: Catherine Haase
Track surveys
To make sure we were getting the best picture possible of all the animals using the grasslands, the team also recorded the tracks we saw along the road and stream beds. The team found many bobcat, raccoon, coyote, deer, hog, weasel, armadillo, and even a spotted skunk!
Spotted skunk tracks found by the creek. Spotted skunks are considered vulnerable in Tennessee so the team was especially excited to document it on the property. Photo credit: Catherine Haase
A bobcat track found on the road. Photo credit: Catherine Haase
A turkey track by the creek. Photo credit: Catherine Haase
Vegetation surveys
The team spent approximately a week collecting vegetation data from 12, 100 m2 research plots. Half of the plots were located in areas burned this year and the other half were located in areas burned last year. The team found some notable finds, including common featherbells (Stenanthium gramineum) which is a grassland wildflower in the lily family.
Vegetative surveys consist of recording all of the plant species and their numbers that are found within a 10 x 10 m plot. Photo credit: Evan Rhem
Soil Cores
The team also collected samples of soil cores from across the property to examine the composition of the soil seed bank. Recent anecdotal observations elsewhere on the Cumberland Plateau seem to indicate that a huge variety of native grassland wildflowers, grasses, and sedges rebound in some locations after trees are removed and fire is returned to the landscape. Our research will seek to determine how much of this response is coming from seeds buried in the top layers of soil. The collected cores will be taken to the APSU greenhouse where they will be laid out on trays to track which seeds germinate.
Aurelia collecting soil cores from a nearby forest plot. Soil cores were collected from across the property. Photo credit: Evan Rhem
SHANNON TRIMBOLI, INTERIM DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Shannon helps the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative tell the forgotten and untold stories of our Southeastern grasslands.