The role of herbicide in savanna restoration: Effects of shrub reduction treatments on the understory and overstory of a longleaf pine flatwoods

Abstract

Woody plant encroachment is a threat to savanna ecosystems worldwide. By exploiting differences in the physiology and seasonality of herbaceous species and encroaching hardwoods, herbicides can be used to control woody shrubs in savannas without causing lasting harm to desirable vegetation. We applied three herbicides and one tank mix to control shrubs following removal of the slash pine ( Pinus elliottii Engelm.) canopy and replanting with container-grown longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris Mill.) seedlings in a mesic-wet savanna in the southeastern USA. The herbicides tested were imazapyr, sulfometuron methyl, hexazinone, and a hexazinone + sulfometuron methyl tank mix. 4 years after application, no negative effects on understory species richness, diversity, evenness, or community composition were evident in any of the herbicide treatments. Oaks ( Quercus spp.), one of the dominant shrub genera on the study site, were resistant to sulfometuron methyl, and this herbicide was therefore ineffective both as a pine release treatment and for enhancing herbaceous species cover. Imazapyr was the most effective treatment overall, leading to significant improvements in longleaf pine seedling growth and also enhancing herbaceous species cover. Both hexazinone and the hexazinone + sulfometuron methyl tank mix provided some seedling growth and understory enhancement as well. In particular, the tank mix significantly increased wiregrass cover relative to the control. Shrubs resprouted quickly following a dormant-season prescribed fire in the fifth year after treatment, indicating that herbicide-related increases in herbaceous cover may be lost if an aggressive prescribed fire program is not implemented.