Thirty Years of Research on Development of Plant Cover on an Electric Transmission Right-Of-Way    (View PDF)

W.C. Bramble and W.R. Byrnes

Abstract: A study of vegetation development and production of wildlife food and cover has been made on an electric transmission right-of-way (ROW) in central Pennsylvania over a period of 30 years. Vegetation was maintained with herbicide sprays of 2,4-D, 2,4,5-T, and ammonium sulfamate (AMS) compared with hand-cutting on separate areas assigned in a randomized block design over a 3-mile segment of ROW. A low plant cover resistant to tree invasion was developed which changed from dominant forest plants (bracken, vernal sedge, loosestrife, witch-hazel, and blueberry) to a relatively stable proclimax maintained by spraying and which was dominated by a combination of forest plants plus plants of openings (sweetfern, blackberry, dewberry, goldenrods, and hayscented fern). All of these dominant plants spread vegetatively by rhizomes or shallow roots to produce a mosaic pattern of irregular patches. Wildlife food and cover was increased on all areas and valuable shrubby edges developed. This produced a high wildlife habitat rating for the ROW as compared with the adjoining forest.

Keywords:

https://doi.org/10.48044/jauf.1983.019