Oak-hickory forests are highly valued for wood products. Bluestem prairie is highly valued for range and pasture. Bluestem prairie sites are also heavily cultivated. This variety may increase the number of wildlife species in the mosaic.
Edge is important to a number of wildlife species.
However, habitat quality is related to patch size. Grassland birds in Illinois are strongly influenced by patch size. Most of the original prairie-forest contact zone vegetation has been lost due to clearing, grazing, and fire suppression. Reconstruction of historic vegetation patterns in Kansas from Land Office Survey records indicated a dramatic expansion of gallery forests from 1859 to 1939, and they continued to expand through 1978. Attempts to reestablish presettlement vegetation depend on availability of local seed sources.