Possibilities to restore open sand grassland at clear-cut black locust stands: long-term effect of mowing
Abstract
Invasive species are among the main threats to grassland biodiversity, and nature conservation management is constantly looking for effective ways to eliminate them, and so to restore natural habitats. We studied the long-term effects of mowing on the recovery of Pannonian sand grasslands after the elimination of invasive black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) plantations in Hungary, Europe. Stands of R. pseudoacacia had been felled and their stumps treated with herbicides at three sites in the winter of 1994/1995. Between 1995 and 2001, the sites were mowed and the hay removed twice a year, to assist grassland recovery. A block of twelve adjacent plots of 10 m by 10 m was assigned for the experiment at each site with six control (unmowed) and six treatment (mowed) plots, randomly distributed. The vegetation was sampled in June and August, between 1995 and 1999 yearly at every site, complemented by samplings in semi-natural reference grasslands, then re-sampled six times until 2017 in Izsák and Fülöpháza, plus once (2019) in Bugac. Chemical treatment successfully repressed R. pseudoacacia in stands surrounded by mostly open landscapes. However, in the lack of regular mowing, R. pseudoacacia could re-establish at the Bugac site, which was surrounded by forest plantation. A higher cover of target species could be found in mowed compared to unmowed plots at sites mostly surrounded by grasslands, though their cover was still significantly lower than at reference sites, as mowing facilitated the spread of neophyte species as well. Long-term monitoring revealed that initial mowing facilitated the recovery of the Pannonian sand grassland, but furthermanagement is needed to control secondary invasion and to increase target species cover.
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