Big Muddy Speaker Series presents:

Missouri River floodplain cottonwood forests are a crucial component of the river valley ecosystem along the length of the Missouri River. These forests support diverse communities of woodland wildlife and migratory birds. The conundrum with cottonwoods is that they require flooding to spread seeds and deposit new sediments for seeds to sprout in. River regulation from dams, channelization, and other alterations to the Missouri River channel have greatly impacted cottonwood forests and the hydrologic processes that historically helped to sustain them.

The flood of 2011 occurred after 6+ decades of flow regulation.  Mark Dixon, PhD, will discuss the effects of the flood and  the degree to which the flood may have contributed to restoration and regeneration of cottonwood forests, especially in upper reaches of the river. Overall he will provide an overview of the "cottonwood conundrum", the effects of the 2011 flood, and lessons learned about the challenges of cottonwood restoration on a large, regulated river.

Mark Dixon, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Missouri River Institute at the University of South Dakota, Vermillion. His teaching and research covers large river riparian ecosystems and plant and avian ecology. He is currently on sabbatical doing research with the USGS River Studies Branch in Columbia.