Linking Ecological Principles to Tools and Strategies in an EBIPM Program

摘要

In ecosystems that are heavily invaded, it is common for the level of degradation to become so intense that the native plant seedbank is reduced. In these cases, active restoration that includes revegetation efforts and stress manipulations through herbicide use, tillage, periodic flooding, prescribed burning, or timely strategic grazing are often necessary to recover certain ecosystem functions. In wildlands and rangelands, herbicides and grazing are generally the most widely used techniques for thecontrol of invasive and weedy plants. Unlike cropland environments where all plants, except the crop, are considered to be weeds, in wildlands and rangelands there is often only one or a few invasive plants that are the target of control measures. Theseplants are generally growing in association with several desirable species. Selectivity is then critical when developing an effective weed management program. Both strategic grazing and herbicides can be applied selectively to alter the trajectory of aplant community to a more desired and functional state.