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Towards ecological management of Australian powerline corridor vegetation
Powerline corridor management in Australia has traditionally focused on the complete removal of vegetation using short rotation times due to the perceived fire hazard associated with corridor vegetation. This study assessed vegetation recovery in a powerline corridor, following management, at three sites spanning corridor and forest habitat. Forest and corridor vegetation communities differed significantly between sites and over time. As vegetation recovered, the corridor community became a mix of plants common in the surrounding forest and open areas, changing within the 3-year study from a grass–fern to shrub–sedge community encroached by midstorey species. The current short rotations between management events unnecessarily maintain the corridor in a cycle of degradation, remove resources for native species and may allow introduced grasses and saplings to proliferate in the corridor. Maintaining a shrub layer would help avoid loss of species richness, encourage native species and limit colonisation opportunities of introduced species. Spot spraying emergent saplings and problem plants and mosaic slashing, would keep fire risk low and maintain biodiversity without increasing biomass to dangerous levels.
History
Journal
Landscape and urban planningVolume
86Issue
3/4Pagination
257 - 266Publisher
ElsevierLocation
Amsterdam, The NetherlandsPublisher DOI
ISSN
0169-2046eISSN
1872-6062Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2008, Elsevier B.VUsage metrics
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vegetation successionrights-of-waymanagementScience & TechnologySocial SciencesLife Sciences & BiomedicinePhysical SciencesEcologyEnvironmental StudiesGeographyGeography, PhysicalRegional & Urban PlanningUrban StudiesEnvironmental Sciences & EcologyPhysical GeographyPublic AdministrationSECONDARY SUCCESSIONDISTURBANCE
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