Open AccessEffect of felled wilding pines on plant growth in high country grasslands
Author(s) -
Thomas S. H. Paul,
N. J. Ledgard
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
proceedings of the new zealand weed and pest control conference/new zealand plant protection/proceedings of the ... national weeds conference/proceedings of the new zealand weed control conference/proceedings of the new zealand plant protection conference
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 0370-2804
pISSN - 0370-0968
DOI - 10.30843/nzpp.2008.61.6879
Subject(s) - grassland , shrubland , vegetation (pathology) , felling , biology , agronomy , forestry , rangeland , grassland ecosystem , agroforestry , ecosystem , ecology , geography , medicine , pathology
Wilding conifers are invading grassland and shrubland ecosystems in the New Zealand high country The felling of wildings is common practice to control such infestations This research investigated the effects of felled pines on growth and composition of grassland vegetation at Mt Barker Canterbury The vegetation within areas of dead trees felled in 1998 was compared with open grassland alongside Adjacent to the dead trees mean species number/plot was reduced to seven (native 37) compared to open grassland (134; native 109) Mouseeared hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella) was dominant in the open grassland plots and had very low cover inside the deadtree plots Grasses and native shrubs showed enhanced growth in the deadtree plots Average plant height was 213 cm compared to 54 cm in the open grassland plots It is suggested that novel microsites and additional nutrients from the decaying trees gave a competitive advantage to some plants for a period of time