Woodland Project Phase 2 Survey Report
Rhododendron
The Rhododendron has now been cleared across the entire Woodland Project site. Although clearance is complete, the remaining Rhododendron stumps have been regenerating very rapidly (Plate 13). Rhododendron density, while greatly reduced, was therefore still fairly high (Figure 5).
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Plate 13. |
| The regenerating stumps have now been treated with Roundup, a biodegradable herbicide, at a rate of 5 litres / hectare. |
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Figure 5. Rhododendron Density |
| The height of the regenerating Rhododendron was fairly constant across the whole project area and was on average, 20 - 30cm. However, there were marked regional differences in the total area covered by the regenerating Rhododendron. This was most noticeable in the region represented by Square 2, where 58% of the 20m square was covered by regenerating Rhododendron (Figure 6). This % cover was measured directly, rather than being estimated. |
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The original Rhododendron cover was densest in the area of Square 2 (Figure 5). This is reflected in the rapidity with which Rhododendron has re-covered the area in comparison to the other regions (Figure 6). |
Figure 6. Rhododendron - Mean % Cover |
| It should be noted that no Rhododendron seedlings have yet been found anywhere on the project site and that the Rhododendron cover was entirely accounted for by regenerating stumps. |
Woodland Project Phase 2 |
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Results |
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