Deakin University
Browse

File(s) under permanent embargo

Towards ecological management of Australian powerline corridor vegetation

journal contribution
posted on 2008-06-01, 00:00 authored by D Clarke, John WhiteJohn White
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 planning

Volume

86

Issue

3/4

Pagination

257 - 266

Publisher

Elsevier

Location

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

ISSN

0169-2046

eISSN

1872-6062

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2008, Elsevier B.V