Thirsty Plants — Hydrological Changes Accompanying Removal of Invasive Plants at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie

Within the Prairie Creek 1 area of Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, invasive woody vegetation was identified as limiting species indigenous to the savanna community. Removal of the undesirable woody vegetation was planned to rehabilitate the savanna. The project area was divided into an experimental and reference areas. Following the invasive removals at the end of the growing season there were statistically significant differences in soil moisture levels between the two sides, with increased soil moisture content within the experimental area. Also, the ground water depths were statistically different. It was concluded that the observed changes in soil moisture content and depth to ground water were directly related to removal of the woody vegetation from the experimental area.