Cumulative restoration action leads to improved vegetative response in shrub‐encroached wet prairies of coastal Florida, U.S.A.

Abstract Introduction Shrub encroachment into herbaceous ecosystems negatively impacts plant species, grassland birds, and mammals and causes shifts in soil nutrients and hydrology. While surface removal of woody vegetation followed by the application of prescribed fire or herbicide is commonly used as a restoration approach, many studies have shown limited and short‐term shrub reductions with these methods. Objectives This study compares 12 restoration approaches that include standard methods typical of fire‐suppressed wetlands in the southeast United States alongside restoration approaches considered novel, especially in wetlands of the longleaf pine landscape. Methods We utilized a randomized complete block design with split‐plot implementation to test four primary restoration treatments: mechanical removal of woody vegetation (Cleared—C), scraping accumulated organic material (Scraped—S), transfer of diaspore material from reference wet prairies to restoration sites (Diaspore—D), application of prescribed fire (Burned—B), and all combinations of each treatment. Results Mechanical clearing led to sustained reductions in woody cover only when combined with scraping. Initial surface clearing of woody vegetation alone reduced woody cover to 19% but increased to 79% after clearing. While still significantly different from the reference plant community, the most complex restoration treatments were closest in ordination space to the reference plant community. Broad‐scale diaspore transfer increased the cover of forbs but not graminoid species. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that surface clearing of woody vegetation alone is not enough to eliminate persistent shrub species and that the transfer of aboveground plant material from reference ecosystems may aid in overcoming dispersal limitations.