Meadow and Grassland: Experimentation for Preservation

Landscape Architecture faculty David Hill and Emily Knox are creating test plots of meadow and grassland at the Mary Olive Thomas Experimental Forest (MOT) at Auburn University.

Meadows are critical hotspots for ecological diversity where even small, fragmented patches serve as a seedbank and safe haven for many species. Culturally, amidst the typical sprawling condition of suburbanization, patches of wildflowers and grasses offer an alternative to the static, tidy, controlled landscapes of the south.  Aside from an ecological standpoint, not enough is known about meadows or grasslands. The general lack of knowledge has discouraged countless communities, developers, clients, and administrators from installing or preserving a meadow.

Through an agreement with the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, landscape architecture faculty and students will have access to the developed test plots at MOT, which will expand fieldwork and design research capacity within CADC.

David Hill is Program Chair and Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture and Emily Knox is Visiting Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture in the School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture.