As of 2020, North Dakota was the second largest oil producing and oil reserve state in the country, resulting in extensive land disturbances across its western half. Currently, no federally mandated guidelines exist for the reclamation of oil and gas extraction sites, leaving states to regulate and monitor site recovery, often with limited staff capacity. Inconsistent reclamation requirements and limited oversight make the effectiveness of reclamation activities uncertain. This study aimed to (1) determine if soil properties recover as time since reclamation increases; (2) assess how long reclaimed soil properties take to reach values similar to adjacent undisturbed soil; and (3) evaluate how reclamation influences vegetation growth and presence compared to the surrounding undisturbed areas. To address these objectives, soil bulk density (BD), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC), and gravimetric water content (GWC) were measured, along with conducting vegetation surveys to assess vegetation establishment and ground cover across seven sites reclaimed between 4 and 37 y ago. Results show that the BD, GWC, pH, EC, MBC, and POXC values are more similar to undisturbed areas in older reclamation sites. While the results of this study provide insight into reclamation effectiveness, they reflect only a snapshot of conditions rather than a site's recovery process. More frequent monitoring would help clarify the soil and vegetation recovery process over time and how long it takes for reclamation sites to reflect undisturbed areas in western North Dakota. This information could assist in shaping reclamation methodology in the future.

Baylisascaris procyonis, the ubiquitous roundworm of raccoons (Procyon lotor), is a threat to remaining populations of Allegheny woodrat (Neotoma magister). The distribution of anthelmintic baits has been shown to be an effective management tool to support woodrat recovery. We compared the prevalence of B. procyonis eggs in raccoon feces across occupied woodrat habitat in Ohio for 3 y before and 6 y after the implementation of anthelmintic baiting. Baiting significantly reduced prevalence of B. procyonis at woodrat habitats, even in years when baiting was not implemented. We recommend anthelmintic baiting as an effective conservation strategy in areas where Allegheny woodrat populations are vulnerable.

Northern mixed-grass prairies are recognized for their high biodiversity but are becoming increasingly threatened by conversion to agricultural rangeland. To determine how grazing by cattle or reintroduced bison may impact these plant communities, we examined the primary drivers of northern mixed-grass prairie plant communities, assessed the heterogeneity of community composition at two sites with differing land use histories, and identified factors important for heterogeneity in these prairie communities. Overall, community characteristics were similar across sites, but community composition differed markedly across short distances. Both landscape traits, including elevation, slope, and precipitation, and grazing pressure were primary drivers of community composition. While bison-grazed sites had lower grazing pressure, both relative cover and richness of native plant species were higher in cattle-grazed sites. As both sites were historically cattle grazed, our results suggest that management legacies play a large role in northern mixed-grass prairie community composition and the benefits of bison grazing may only become apparent after a substantial amount of time since reintroduction.

The use of prescribed burns to suppress woody invasive species like common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) in temperate deciduous forests is often limited by fine fuel availability. This is particularly problematic in the period following mechanical removal of buckthorn, when fire has the greatest probability of preventing buckthorn from re-establishing dominance through remaining small individuals, resprouts, or seeds. Here, we test whether revegetating by seeding C3 grasses and forbs enhances fine fuel availability and subsequent spread and impact of prescribed burns in two semi-open forests (8–24% tree canopy light transmission) in Minnesota. We found seeding increased cover of grass litter by more than 12-fold and decreased bare ground by 73%. Consequently, seeded areas enhanced fire spread by 85% and resulted in a three-fold increase in the proportion of wood pyrometers fully consumed. One year after burning, seeded plots had 72% less woody cover compared to adjacent unseeded plots, and burned subplots had 33% less woody cover compared to adjacent subplots that were not burned. Our findings support the use of herbaceous seeding (particularly of Elymus grasses) in buckthorn removal projects. The positive effects of seeding on burn performance via increased fine fuel quantity outweighed potential negative effects of understory phenology on fuel moisture content and flammability. Thus, a combined approach of seeding and burning is likely to offer enhanced control of small buckthorn stems compared to either passive restoration or seeding alone.