Resprouting of woody species encroaching temperate European grasslands after cutting and burning

Abstract

AbstractQuestionsAre there interspecific differences in resprouting after cutting and burning among woody species encroaching temperate grasslands? Are alien woody species more successful than natives in their resprouting after the two treatments proposed to control shrub encroachment? Is resprouting influenced by age of the individuals? Does resprouting differ between cutting and burning?LocationTemperate grasslands encroached by shrubs, Transylvania, Romania.MethodsWe investigated the resprouting after cutting or burning of four shrub species (Cornus sanguinea, Crataegus monogyna, Prunus spinosa and Rosa canina) encroaching grasslands in field sites 3 yr following treatments. We compared the resprouting ability of shrubs between species and treatments and analysed the relationship between the number of resprouts and stump diameter, as a proxy for age. In a common garden experiment on 1‐yr‐old individuals we compared resprouting after cutting and burning between three native (C. sanguinea, C. monogyna and P. spinosa) and three alien woody species (Ailanthus altissima, Elaeagnus angustifolia and Hippophae rhamnoides) during one growing season.ResultsC. monogyna produced the largest number of resprouts in the field study, and H. rhamnoides in the experimental study. Overall, resprouting ability of alien woody species did not differ from that of natives. In the field study, we found an increasing number of resprouts with increasing stump diameter, and the rate of increase in the number of resprouts was highest in C. monogyna. We detected no difference in the resprouting of woody species between cutting and burning treatments either in the field or in the experimental study.ConclusionsOur study suggests that the success of encroachment control in grasslands does not depend on treatment type, but on the woody species composition and age of individuals. Grasslands encroached by C. monogyna or H. rhamnoides will be more labour‐intensive to restore and maintain free of shrubs. Restoration measures should be implemented in the early stage of shrub encroachment since younger shrubs have lower resprouting ability. Burning and cutting may be equally effective in controlling shrub encroachment, but treatments should be more intensive than in the current study in order to damage the resprouting buds and arrest resprouting.