Reveg Site Maintenance
Maintenance after planting - Weed control and assessment
As previously discussed under site preparation, weed control is usually the single most important factor in the success or failure of tree plantings. It is just as critical after planting as before and should be continued for at least one full growing season after planting and preferably for 2 years. A weed-free area of 1m diameter should be maintained around each plant for this period.
Weeds should be controlled when they are actively growing, before they set seed and before they begin to compete with your newly established plants. Different weeds will germinate at different times of the year so you will need to monitor your site regularly. Look at your site each month after planting and schedule weed control when you see actively growing weeds. It is much easier to control weeds before they get too big and before they set seed. If you have an annual program of revegetation planned, it pays to keep records of which weeds occur and when they emerge, as well as effective techniques for their control.
Thinning and In-fill planting
Direct seeded sites will usually almost always require in-fill planting or thinning out of dominating over successful species in order to improve the levels of biodiversity level. Programed monitoring of a site will ensure that planning for these maintenance activities can occur.
As previously discussed under site preparation, weed control is usually the single most important factor in the success or failure of tree plantings. It is just as critical after planting as before and should be continued for at least one full growing season after planting and preferably for 2 years. A weed-free area of 1m diameter should be maintained around each plant for this period.
Weeds should be controlled when they are actively growing, before they set seed and before they begin to compete with your newly established plants. Different weeds will germinate at different times of the year so you will need to monitor your site regularly. Look at your site each month after planting and schedule weed control when you see actively growing weeds. It is much easier to control weeds before they get too big and before they set seed. If you have an annual program of revegetation planned, it pays to keep records of which weeds occur and when they emerge, as well as effective techniques for their control.
Thinning and In-fill planting
Direct seeded sites will usually almost always require in-fill planting or thinning out of dominating over successful species in order to improve the levels of biodiversity level. Programed monitoring of a site will ensure that planning for these maintenance activities can occur.
Measuring success - Principles and methods
How will you know if your revegetation project is a success? What and when will you measure?
To measure success, you need a clear idea of what 'success' looks like. Right at the beginning of your project, you need to decide on what you want your project to achieve. You may have very clear goals about increasing the numbers of particular wildlife species, or reducing salinity by a certain amount. These sort of goals (often called 'outcomes') are usually long term and may not be able to be measured for several decades. You also need to be able to set some short and medium term goals.
Short term goals might be to measure the success of getting your revegetation established. You could measure the percentage of plants surviving one year after planting, the growth rates of your plants, diversity and extent of weeds present or the number and diversity of plants germinating from direct seeding. Medium term measures of success might include area revegetated, species diversity, amount of leaf litter present or usage of the site by wildlife for foraging and breeding.
In the longer term you could compare how similar your revegetated site is to existing stands of remnant vegetation.
How will you know if your revegetation project is a success? What and when will you measure?
To measure success, you need a clear idea of what 'success' looks like. Right at the beginning of your project, you need to decide on what you want your project to achieve. You may have very clear goals about increasing the numbers of particular wildlife species, or reducing salinity by a certain amount. These sort of goals (often called 'outcomes') are usually long term and may not be able to be measured for several decades. You also need to be able to set some short and medium term goals.
Short term goals might be to measure the success of getting your revegetation established. You could measure the percentage of plants surviving one year after planting, the growth rates of your plants, diversity and extent of weeds present or the number and diversity of plants germinating from direct seeding. Medium term measures of success might include area revegetated, species diversity, amount of leaf litter present or usage of the site by wildlife for foraging and breeding.
In the longer term you could compare how similar your revegetated site is to existing stands of remnant vegetation.