Maintaining Mountain Meadows

Maintaining Mountain Meadows. . , Forest seems to be on the march here, invading this meadow at a rate of one foot per year, but the Outlet Fire in spring 2000 may have slowed the forest's advance. Before the fire burned this area, forest was encroaching on better-drained, dryer soil even more, making it harder for meadow plants to complete. Next, tree saplings begin to flourish in the new shade of these larger trees. And then, as trees drop their acidic needles, the soil becomes less alkaline than meadow plants require. Excluding fire from this ecosystem helped trees invade the meadow. , Many factors create and maintain natural, open meadows. Deer graze the. Small mammals dig for shelter and food. Melting snow and rain make it too wet for tree seeds to germinate. Tree seedlings may not tolerate full exposure to sunlight. Natural soil toxins and the high alkaline content of meadow soil keep most woody plants out. And some seedlings - like ponderosa pine seedlings - simply can't compete with well-established grasses. , Captions , Predators such as mountain lions, coyotes (left), foxes, and many birds of prey often hunt where meadows and forests converge. Quaking aspens may reproduce quickly after forest such as the Outlet Fire.