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Using physical parameters and geographic information system analyses to predict potential riparian restoration sites for giant cane in southern Illinois

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Riparian buffers have been widely advocated as a best management practice for improving stream and lake water quality. Giant cane (Arundinaria gigantean) is a good candidate to include in multispecies riparian buffers designs, as it promotes infiltration of surface runoff and deposition of sediment and associated nutrients. To examine the potential of giant cane as a riparian zone species in the Cache River watershed in southern Illinois, we identified common physical site characteristics for 140 existing southern Illinois canebrakes. Percent slope, soil taxonomy, and pH, along with digital elevation models and land cover mapped with geographic information systems, were used to determine the potential suitability of sites within the watershed for canebrake plantings and general riparian restoration. The following soil characteristics were determined to be associated with giant cane success: percentage of area containing slopes of ≤3 percent, fine to coarse-silty textures, pH of 5.3-6.7, effective cation exchange capacity of <30 units, available water holding capacity ≥0.12, bulk density of 1.37-1.65 g/cm3, and percent clay of 11-55. Eighty percent of existing giant cane sites were found within these slope and soil characteristics. The total area of potential riparian canebrake landscapes based on these parameters is 7,470 ha within the Cache River watershed.

Parent Publication

Citation

Nelson, Amanda M.; Stoebner, Timothy J.; Schoonover, Jon E.; Williard, Karl W.J. 2014. Using physical parameters and geographic information system analyses to predict potential riparian restoration sites for giant cane in southern Illinois. In: Groninger, John W.; Holzmueller, Eric J.; Nielsen, Clayton K.; Dey, Daniel C., eds. Proceedings, 19th Central Hardwood Forest Conference; 2014 March 10-12; Carbondale, IL. General Technical Report NRS-P-142. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 49-60.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/47324