Thinning invasive trees can provide an innovative way to bring back grasslands

What is it about?

Australian acacias have spread to many parts of the world. In South Africa, species such as black wattle are invasive and government programmes are geared to clearing and managing these invasives in order to boost ecosystem services that are important for human and ecosystem well-being. By understanding the biophysical characteristics of black wattle that invade South African grasslands, the paper tries to explore innovative management possibilities. One such possibility is reducing the canopy of the invasive trees to promote grass production, while also sequestering carbon.

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Photo by Damian Patkowski on Unsplash

Photo by Damian Patkowski on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Limited funds for clearing invasive alien plants implies the need for innovative ways of managing invasions. The study proposes removing small invasive trees and leaving larger ones in order to sequester carbon while also promoting grass production.