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Mississippi State University

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Plant communities

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Full-Text Articles in Forest Sciences

Mowing Effects On Woody Stem Density And Woody And Herbaceous Vegetation Heights Along Mississippi Highway Right-Of-Ways., Edward D. Entsminger, Jeanne C. Jones, John W. Guyton, Bruce D. Leopold, Bronson K. Strickland Jun 2019

Mowing Effects On Woody Stem Density And Woody And Herbaceous Vegetation Heights Along Mississippi Highway Right-Of-Ways., Edward D. Entsminger, Jeanne C. Jones, John W. Guyton, Bruce D. Leopold, Bronson K. Strickland

College of Forest Resources Publications and Scholarship

Roadside right-of-ways (ROWs) undergo regular disturbances such as mowing, maintenance, wrecks, and road developments, which affect soils, groundwater, surface hydrology, and the composition of vegetation. Roadsides can provide and support an environment for diverse plant communities, but management practices have reduced native grasses, wildflowers, and woody plants. Woody plants are not desirable for traffic safety, maintenance, and visibility along road ROWs. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to investigate effects of roadside mowing frequency on native and nonnative herbaceous and woody plant vertical height coverage and native and nonnative woody stem density within plant communities along highway ROWs. We …


Evaluation Of Mowing Frequency On Right-Of-Way Plant Communities In Mississippi., Edward D. Entsminger, Jeanne C. Jones, John W. Guyton, Bronson K. Strickland, Bruce D. Leopold Jun 2017

Evaluation Of Mowing Frequency On Right-Of-Way Plant Communities In Mississippi., Edward D. Entsminger, Jeanne C. Jones, John W. Guyton, Bronson K. Strickland, Bruce D. Leopold

College of Forest Resources Publications and Scholarship

Native grasses and native wildflowers are declining, especially along roadside right-of-ways because of intensive mowing and herbicide management practices. Roadside right-of-ways undergo regular disturbances such as mowing, maintenance, and road developments that affect soils, groundwater, surface hydrology, and vegetation composition. We investigated species richness and percent coverage within plant communities along highway right-of-ways to determine if reduced mowing increased native plant coverage. The study was conducted using 10 research plots situated along Highway 25 in Oktibbeha and Winston counties, Mississippi. Each research plot consisted of three different treatments as follows: one that included greater than four mowings per year, one …