"Oak savannas are rare natural communities characterized by scattered oak trees, a rich continuous understory containing many flowering plants, high levels of biodiversity, and frequent fires. The rarity of remnant oak savannas not converted to agriculture or settlement is further exacerbated by widespread fire-suppression. Lack of fire has allowed fire-sensitive woody plant species to rapidly grow and fill in formerly open oak savannas to the detriment of oak trees, understory plants, and other biota. [This thesis explores] the effect of two current oak savanna restoration methods designed to reverse this process, on light availability, vegetative cover, pollinator communities, understory flowering forbs, and pollinator communities."--From abstract.
Read
