Restoring Grasslands

Tennessee is known for its forested landscape, but many of those forests were historically grassy, more open habitats. Grasslands once covered millions of acres in Tennessee. Tennessee Wildlife Federation is working with private landowners and public agencies across the state to restore native grassland habitats needed by many species of wildlife.

Why Grasslands?

90% +

of Tennessee’s native grasslands are gone.

Carbon

filter

Mature grasslands efficiently store carbon, mostly underground in their extensive root systems.

1 in 3

rare bird species in the southeast require grasslands. Dwindling grasslands is a major factor in the decline of these species.

Native grasslands are essential ecosystems in every region of tennessee.

Grasslands are one of the fastest disappearing ecosystems in the world—and the most impacted habitat type in Tennessee. Grasslands are more than barren fields of just grass. Tennessee has several different types of grasslands, many of which include trees, shrubs, and other woody plants. In fact, the Southeast contains more types of grasslands than the Great Plains and Midwestern prairies combined.

Grassland habitats offer many ecological benefits. Native grasses have strong, intertwining root systems that help hold soil together and reduce erosion. Mature native grasslands are also great at storing carbon in their roots and the soil for decades. The key component to all of these benefits is habitats filled with grasses native to the region and properly managing those habitats. Without regular management, critical grassland habitats—and the wildlife that rely on them—quickly disappear.

What we do for grasslands

Native

plants

such as switchgrass, milkweed, and big bluestem provide excellent cover for wildlife.

500

acres of grasslands restored or conserved.

Prescribed

burning

is critical to maintaining quality native grasslands and helps control competition from woody plants.

Are you a landowner?

You could benefit from the Federation's decades of experience in habitat restoration.

Interested in learning if your land is a fit for habitat restoration?

Tell us more

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Your generosity helps manage wildlife populations and restore habitats for a more vibrant Tennessee.

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More Habitat Restoration

Reviving Tennessee: Cane Creek

In 2017, Tennessee Wildlife Federation began its first wetland restoration project—a 12 acre site in the Cane Creek watershed in Putnam County. As of 2024, the site has undergone an amazing transformation and is now permanently protected under a conservation easement.

Habitats We Restore

Tennessee Wildlife Federation works with private landowners and public agencies to conserve and restore the four major habitat types in Tennessee: forests, grasslands, rivers, and wetlands.