Remnant oak woodland and savanna habitat

== Remnant Oak Woodland and Savanna Habitat ==

What Is It?

Scattered Oak Trees above Prairie Grasses & Forbes
No Closed Canopy, Only About 50% Canopy Coverage
Grasses & Forbes Need Plenty of Sunlight
Habitat Supported by Rich Mesic Soils
Largely Unknown What Original Oak Woodland & Savanna Understories Were Like
Less Grass with More Forbes & Woody Shrubs Than Prairies
More Dynamic Than Prairies or Forests; Combination of Many Species of Plants & Animals
No Factual List of Plants Because True Oak Woodland & Savanna Habitats Have Been Gone For 150 Years
Important Habitat for Both Woodland & Prairie Animals
Intersection of Two Habitats

Once a Very Prominent Habitat
Needs Periodic Wildfire, Animal Grazing, & Drought to Prevent Other Trees From Growing
Prairie Grasses & Oak Trees Can Survive the Disturbances While Other Trees Cannot
Oak Woodlands & Savanna Have Become Almost Extinct Since European Settlers Stopped Natural Wildfires & Grazing
Farming Has Also Obliterated Much of the Oak Woodland & Savanna Habitats

Huge Diversity of Plants & Animals
Transitions from Prairie to Woodlands
Indicator of Plant and Animal Health: The Greater the Diversity, the Greater the Ecosystem's Health

Less Than 500 Acres of Intact Habitat
That is Less Than .01% of The Original 5.5 Million Acres Estimated to Have Once Existed
Oak Woodlands & Savannas Rank Equally with Tallgrass Prairie on The List of Endangered Habitats as The Most Threatened Habitats in The World
Losing Oak Woodland & Savanna Habitat Means The Loss of Hundreds of Species of Plants & Animals
Many Animals Have Been Able to Adapt to The Loss of Habitat
Other Animals Have Been Displaced or Exist in Very Low Numbers Because of The Loss of Habitat: Timber Wolf, Black Bear, Bison, Elk, Bobcat, & Many Bird Species...