Smoky Hill prairie

Smoky Hill Air National Guard Range tallgrass prairie project

This project was part of a larger study of vegetation and management of the Smoky Hill Air National Guard lands west of Salina, Kansas (reference below). Chapter 5 of that report (see PDF file below) provides the background for plant communities and plot data that were collected during the summer of 2004. Plot data was collected from native prairie sites (which have been classified as both Dakota Hills tallgrass prairie and also referred to as mixed-grass prairie).

Smoky Hill Air National Guard report, Chapter 5 [View PDF]

Location data
The location of the 20-by-20m plots is given in both the attached file. All data are in the mapping projection NAD83. The details on the selection of sites is in the attached document, Smoky Hill Vegetation Report, Chapter 5.

Smoky Hill grassland plot locations [Excel file]

Study data
The attached file provides the data for all species found on all plots at sites that are native Dakota sandstone tallgrass hayed, range or impact (essentially only burned because this is the impact area for dropping practice bombs). The data are for percent cover of 20-by-20m plots.

Smoky Hill grassland data [Excel file]

Reference
Busby, W. H., J. M. Delisle, C. C.

Freeman, K. Kindscher, H. Loring, D. E. Nimz, and C. J. Schmidt. 2007. A natural features inventory of the Smoky Hill ANG Range, Kansas. [View PDF]

You are welcome to use this data, and I ask that you credit the source. Please contact me, as I am especially interested in opportunities to collaborate on uses of this data.