An Assessment of Prairie Restoration at Fort Scott National Historic Site

The purpose of this study was to describe and assess the current condition of the restored prairie at Fort Scott National Historic Site (NHS), and to compare its condition to that of a tallgrass prairie remnant. Cover values for plant species were estimated using a systematic random design. Species richness and floristic quality values were significantly higher at the native prairie than at the Fort Scott NHS restored prairie in June and September 2011. Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) Vitman was the only dominant species found at both study sites. The summer/fall forbs guild was the main functional group at the Fort Scott NHS restored prairie in June, with C4 grasses becoming dominant by September. The C4 plant guild was the major functional group at the native prairie in June and September. Differences in species composition and their relative abundances indicate that the Fort Scott NHS restored tallgrass prairie has only partially recreated the native prairie that was once found in the region.