In restoration efforts targeting invasive grasses, what sequence is commonly used?

• A. Mechanical removal followed by fertilizer application
• B. Burning only
• C. Glyphosate treatment followed by revegetation with competitive native species
• D. No treatment; let natural recovery occur

Answer: (C)

In restoration, the most effective sequence is to first reduce the invasive grasses and then reestablish the native plant community. Glyphosate treatment targets and lowers the dominance of the invasives, opening space and reducing competition for light, water, and nutrients. After the invasives are weakened or killed, revegetation with competitive native species helps the native community reoccupy the niche, stabilizes the soil, and suppresses reinvasion by the same invaders. This approach is more successful than burning or mechanical removal alone, or doing nothing, because those methods don’t reliably suppress the invaders or quickly restore a self-sustaining native-dominated community.