Effects of cutting and burning on grazed vegetation of wet meadows at Lake Agra

The expansion of reed (Phragmites australis) in wetlands constitutes a great threat for bird fauna, while it increases the grazing pressure from domestic animals, as a result of the decreased wet meadow coverage. In this study, the effectiveness of cutting and burning in combination with livestock grazing to control helophytic vegetation was investigated. Specifically, mechanical cutting of reedbed was applied using a portable slashing machine. At the same time, paired plots 3×3 m each (protected and freely grazed) were established. In addition, burning was applied in areas covered by Cladium mariscus, Juncus effusus, Cirsium palustre and Carex davalliana. They were measured cover, species composition of herbage, production and utilization percentage at the sites where cutting and burning were applied. It was found that grasses, on the average, were the dominant cover group in the total area, in both treatments. Cutting reduced helophytes and favoured the growth of grasses. In contrast, burning resulted in a more severe reduction of herbage production compared in cutting. When grazing was combined with the two treatments, helophyte re-growth was controlled by livestock, especially of the reed.