By Tom Stanley Extension Agent
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Grasslands for Wildlife
There has been increased interest in the flora and fauna that can inhabit open fields in the Mid Atlantic. From the time of European settlement up until the mid-20th century, there were many pastures that were not mowed annually and an ecosystem of birds and plants compatible with grazing livestock was established. Cedar was the pioneer tree species that might begin to sneak into these open fields but its relatively slow rate of growth gave farmers a 24-month window to easily remove them and keep the fields open. As rapidly growing invasive species like multiflora rose, autumn olive, and ailanthus trees became more prevalent through the last decades of the 20th century, annual mowing became a necessity to keep fields open unless herbicides were used regularly to keep woody invasive plants at bay.
