Exotic Plant Management in California Annual Grasslands

example, in a revegetation effort along a yellow starthistle–infestedcanal and roadside, the first step was to intensivelymanage starthistle (Brown et al. 1993; Thomsen et al.1994). The second step was to reseed with competitive, deeprootednative perennial grasses. In the final stage, nativebroadleaf forbs such as California poppy and lupines wereseeded into the system.Biological control can also play a key part in the success ofan integrated control program. For example, Huffaker andKennett (1959) reported on the success of the biological controlprogram for the management of common St. Johnswort.They noted that maximal improvement of the rangeland wasachieved when the biocontrol agent was used in combinationwith moderate timely grazing. This combination preventedthe expansion of ripgut brome in the grassland sitespreviously occupied by common St. John’s wort.In a review, Lym (2005) described the numerous situationsin which the successful use of biological control insects(Aphthona spp.) for leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) depend onthe use of other conventional weed control methods. Integrationof Aphthona spp. with herbicides, grazing, or burninggave more rapid and better leafy spurge control that anymethod used alone.Finally, it is important to emphasize that the ultimateobjective of any control strategy is to develop a “healthy”functional ecosystem. Competitive background vegetationin grasslands will not only reduce the potential establishmentof invasive plants, but can also enhance the effectivenessof other control strategies, including biologicalcontrol (McEvoy and Coombs 1999). As an example, theseed feeding insects for yellow starthistle can have attackrates of greater than 90% (DiTomaso et al. 2006), yet reduceseedset by only about 50–60% (Woods et al. 2004). In a systemwith competitive vegetation, a reduction of this levelmay suppress starthistle to an acceptable and sustainablelevel.296 POLICY AND MANAGEMENT