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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 55(3)

Recent advances in restoration ecology, with a focus on the Banksia woodland and the smoke germination tool

Deanna P. Rokich A B C and Kingsley W. Dixon A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Science Directorate, Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Fraser Avenue, Perth, WA 6005, Australia.

B School of Plant Biology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6015, Australia.

C Corresponding author. School of Environmental Science, Murdoch University, Perth, WA 6150, Australia. Email: drokich@bgpa.wa.gov.au

Australian Journal of Botany 55(3) 375-389 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT06108
Submitted: 30 May 2006  Accepted: 2 November 2006   Published: 18 May 2007

Abstract

This paper details some of the recent research findings concerning restoration needs of the Banksia woodland in Western Australia, including the importance of, and recent advances in, smoke-technology research. Research has enabled testing of a wide spectrum of restoration technologies that enhance plant replacement at sites via treatments of the topsoil seedbank, broadcast seed and seedlings. By the use of smoke technology, which in some systems produces a 48-fold increase in the total number of germinants and a 3-fold increase in the number of species at restoration sites, improved species replacement is a very real possibility in Banksia woodland. At the same time, some commonly employed practices in restoration are a cause for concern, including the application of a herbicide widely used to control a priority Banksia-woodland weed and fire-suppressing agents used to assist fire management. These findings may have broader implications for restoration programs.


Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge staff and students at the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority in Kings Park and Botanic Garden who have assisted in restoration ecology and smoke-technology research. The opportunity to partake in the Advances in Plant Conservation Symposium, organised by the Department of Conservation and Land Management and the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, is appreciated.


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