Prior to the land practices commonly found today, the piedmont region of the Mid-south had vast acreages occupied by what we now call "prairies" or in some cases "savannas".  Though trees have always been a dominant feature throughout our region, the density and species composition have dramitically changed during the last two centuries.  Due to repetitive fire, large populations of grazing animals, and other environmental factors- upland forests were once open stands of trees with a grassy/herbaceous understory.  Though we will never again witness these communities on a landscape scale, restoration of these types of habitats is completely possible for smaller units.

 

The objectives for planting NWSG are as numerous as there are grass species.  Wildlife managers employ these communities to improve all types of early successional habitats.  Livestock and hay producers utilizing native grasses have seen productivity gains they only dreamed about.  Land conservancies employ them to restore natural ecosystems.  Road construction operations have even experimented and found that these species are excellent in stabilizing roadbanks.  At the very basic ecological level, native grasses are NATIVE, which means they are supposed to be here.  It's no wonder that they often outperform other grasses in terms of growth, drought tolerance, and site adaptability.  Perhaps the most overlooked benefit is aesthetics.  Piedmont prairies are very visually stimulating, especially in the spring and summer.  Hosting a variety of wildflower species, the range of color is sometimes explosive.  In autumn, the majority of the grasses go dormant, creating an tawny-amber ocean that moves in the slightest breeze.