Title: Restoring a seasonal wetland using woven black plastic weed mat to overcome a weed threshold

Abstract: Little information is available on the use of woven black polypropylene weed control mat in ecological restoration. At a 6.5-ha area of fertile Vertosol soil ex-farmland near Perth, Western Australia, concerted efforts to control weed using conventional methods such as herbicides, fire and cultivation proved ineffective. After 5 years, weeds still dominated the site, and native plant establishment was poor. Small-scale preliminary trials of various weed suppression coverings were then undertaken, with plastic weed mat the most cost-effective in overcoming the weed threshold, permitting native tree seedling establishment. In a larger-scale trial of weed mat over the whole site, weeds were controlled and high levels of native plant establishment achieved, with a diverse range of understorey, midstorey and overstorey species providing 56% projected foliage cover. This ensured that completion criteria were finally satisfied. These results suggest that weed mat may be effective for weed control in large-scale restoration where conventional methods have failed, as long as ultimate removal or decomposition and other issues are addressed. [Grose, P. J. (2012). Restoring a seasonal wetland using woven black plastic weed mat to overcome a weed threshold. Ecological Management & Restoration, 13: 191–195. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-8903.2012.00648.x]

Keywords: jute mat; plastic weed mat; restoration; thresholds; weed control

Original source



Article: WeedsNews3327 (permalink)
Categories: :WeedsNews:research alert, :WeedsNews:non-chemical control, :WeedsNews:restoration, :WeedsNews:weed control
Date: 24 May 2012; 10:19:00 am Australian Eastern Standard Time

Author Name: David Low
Author ID: adminDavid