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Strip Habitat Restoration Project
Innovation and Action on the Land… By Dr. Megan Lulow, Senior Field Ecologist, IRC Most of the grasslands on the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks are dominated by non-native plants such as black mustard and artichoke thistle, which choke off native plants and support few wildlife species. In the past, these areas supported a mosaic of coastal sage scrub, native grass, wildflowers and oak woodlands. Although the grazing and other land-use practices responsible for their current condition are no longer used, the non-native plants remain, and in many cases continue to get worse. Native habitats have a difficult time getting established and often need our help to get started. Native species are unable to re-colonize non-native grasslands for two important reasons: 1) insufficient amounts of seed remain in the soil and surrounding intact habitats to naturally replenish and disperse into the extensive grasslands, and 2) non-native species have a competitive advantage over slower-growing native seedlings. Native plant seed and restoration can be expensive. One way to getting a bigger bang for the buck is to plant species in patterns that take advantage of the ability of plants to naturally spread to adjacent areas. To restore native habitats in the most effective and cost-efficient way possible, the Irvine Ranch Conservancy Science and Stewardship team collaborates with managers and ecologists at UC Irvine, and The Nature Conservancy to design restoration patterns in strips with varying distances between them. The team is also testing applying different amounts of native seed to the land, to determine what effect this might have on overall success. Although the individual restoration test sites are only about 100 feet X 50 feet in size, the results will be useful in planned large-scale restorations. Another benefit of using a strip pattern is that it can be managed easily with tractors and other restoration equipment. Circles or squares of habitat would be too difficult to work with. The strips can even be designed in multiples of the width of the field equipment, making the whole operation as efficient as possible! So far, 20 restoration areas have been placed throughout the Natural Landmarks, with management funding from the Irvine Company on protected land it owns and from the Nature Reserve of Orange County in coastal areas. Shortly the team will understand the best design for restoration that maximizes native habitat regeneration with the least cost and effort. The project hopes to attract additional research to help understand why such designs are best and what can be done to improve restoration even further. These restoration grids are a great example of how testing strategies and working on a smaller scale first can provide information and knowledge that will save tremendous amounts of money on needed large-scale habitat restoration. To learn more about Resource Management and Stewardship projects on the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks, visit http://www.irconservancy.org/stewardship/science.aspx . To get involved or inquire about volunteer opportunities, visit http://www.irvineranchwildlands.org/involved/opMain.asp. 
First year growth of seeded restoration including annual wildflowers such as poppies and tarweed in Limestone Canyon.
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