Neophytes gravel pit Bière
Realized:
2019
performed by:
Naturnetz Mittelland
Gravel pits are replacement habitats for many species that are actually typical of dynamic landscapes. Gravel mining simulates conditions that are rarely found in the modern, over-regulated cultural landscape. Many specialists that depend on nutrient-poor conditions find a habitat here. Unfortunately, many exotic species also find a habitat here, which, due to their great ecological plasticity, successfully compete with native species almost everywhere. The Bière gravel pit is a real nightmare when it comes to the presence of problem plants. We paid particular attention to the many species of invasive neophytes. The Canadian goldenrod was the most represented. In addition to butterfly bush and annual fleabane, we also found species that are potentially hazardous to human health, such as ragweed and the poisonous narrow-leaved ragwort. Our community workers literally tackled the problem at the root and made short work of all these species! Since it was already the end of August, we had to wear a respiratory mask at the sites with ragweed to protect ourselves from the highly allergenic pollen.
Even after several passes, it was not possible to completely remove all neophytes. While we deliberately and very selectively weeded ecologically more valuable areas by hand, we were able to use brush cutters efficiently on some plots. In doing so, it is always important to find a balance between labor-intensive manual weeding and the use of mowers within the time available. Mowing can prevent seeding on larger areas, but the plant is far less damaged than pulling it out, which will be very noticeable in the following year.
The collaboration with the gravel pit operators worked very well. An efficient tire loader was used to transport the large quantities of green waste that had been piled up by our community service team.