Native grasslands and meadows in Pennsylvania: Their history and current condition

Studies of fossil remains, including bones, pollen, spores and charcoal, have painted a provocative picture of the evolution of grasslands over the past several million years in North America.  However, comparatively little scientific inquiry on native grasslands has focused on the northeastern United States, where forests and wetlands attract far more attention.  In this study, eyewitness accounts and vascular plant species lists were compiled and analyzed for more than 250 historical and present-day native grassland and meadow sites within the present-day borders of Pennsylvania.  The study focused on persistent (not short-lived, early successional) grasslands and meadows dominated by native plant species.

Detrended correspondence analysis of herbarium records clarified patterns in the composition of grassland-endemic plant species at 173 of the historical sites, in relation to physiography, bedrock type and other elements of geographical variation.  An expanded community classification scheme is proposed for native, upland grasslands and meadows in the state.

Results of this study are useful (1) as input for a gap analysis establishing natural area protection priorities; (2) to define models of species composition for management and restoration of remnant grasslands; (3) to create templates for the creation of new native grasslands that will favor success in establishment and enhancement of wildlife habitat under particular sets of soil and microclimatic conditions; and (4) to identify the best sources for local genotypes of species used in restoration and grassland creation.