Southern Plains

The NEON candidate core site in the Southern Plains Domain is located at the Caddo/LBJ National Grasslands in north-central Texas, close to the Oklahoma border. The domain includes central Oklahoma to the north and broadens southward to include most of Texas. The Southern Plains domain focuses on climate change and land-use change, with an emphasis on the spread of invasive vegetation in the zone between forest and grassland. The area includes private lands, ranches, grazing areas, and Federal lands.

Domain: Southern Plains (Domain #11)

Science Focus: Biological invasions.

Candidate Core Site Name: Caddo and LBJ Grasslands

Representativeness: The primary vegetation of this area is Cross Timbers Forest which is a mosaic of of tallgrass prairie, oak savannah and forest. The Cross Timbers vegetation defines the ecotone between grasslands and forests in the domain which represents a zone that is sensitive to pending climate change.

Location: Latitude: 33.330; Longitude: -97.638.

Unique Feature: The LBJ is a checkerboard of parcels of federal lands in a mosaic of privately owned property. Some Federal parcels are leased for moderate grazing. The privately held land is used for a number of purposes including development of gated communities, grazing, hay production and horse ranches.