Succession and management - Ecological Applications: Toward a Sustainable World - page 238

managers of grouse moors in Scotland both use controlled burning to create a suc-
cessional mosaic of benefi t to the game that hunters prize.

Using succession to control invasions
Early-successional agricultural weeds have a pioneer life-history stategy and are
unlikely to do well in the resource-poor, competitive environments that characterize
late-successional grassland. Thus, restoration of prairie grasslands can reduce the
problem of weed invasion. In forests, too, invaders generally do well in disturbed
situations (in other words, in early-successional settings). The restoration of late-
successional forest communities can thus be an effective control strategy against
some invasive species.

Managing succession for conservation
Some endangered species require an early-successional stage, some a mosaic of
patches at different stages, and others rely on a late stage. Sometimes the success of
a conservation strategy depends on knowledge of the role of herbivores or of species
that facilitate succession. The plans of conservation managers who ignore succes-
sional patterns will often be doomed to failure.

The fi nal word

Jack is no less upset about losing his house to fi re (Section 8.1) but perhaps his
perspective has broadened a little. ' OK, so nature is in a constant state of fl ux, and
fi res and other disturbances happen. The lesson seems to be that the regular setting of
small, controlled fi res would prevent the build up of fuel that can cause the occasional
raging inferno. But that seems risky in itself - miscalculate and more homes will be lost.
I'm beginning to think that the appropriate motto for us forest dwellers is “if you can't
stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen”.' Thinking of forest management in a different
context, Jack has spotted a paradox. ' When the aim is sustainable harvest of trees, it
seems obvious that selective removal of trees of particular ages is the way to go. But for
the sake of the Canada lynx, clear cutting of large areas seems vital to open up early-
successional areas rich in the lynx's prey. '
Consider the principles of sustainable harvesting (Section 7.3.2) and the needs of
the lynx (Section 8.5.1). Outline the elements of a forest management plan that
responds to both.

References

Allen, M.F., Allen, E.B. & Gomez-Pompa, A. (2005) Effects of mycorrhizae and non-target
organisms on restoration of a seasonal tropical forest in Quintana Roo, Mexico: factors
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Blumenthal, D.M., Jordan, N.R. and Svenson, E.L. (2003) Weed control as a rationale for res-
toration: the example of tallgrass prairie. Conservation Ecology 7(1): 6. Available online:
http://www.consecol.org/vol7/iss1/art6
Blumenthal, D.M., Jordan, N.R. & Svenson, E.L. (2005) Effects of prairie restoration on weed
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Carson, W.P. & Root, R.B. (1999) Top-down effects of insect herbivores during early succes-
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