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Abstract
Active management of coastal streams is needed to ensure the continued existence of significant riparian systems in Southern California. The concept of a dynamic self-replacing plant community is no longer a truism there. In the past decades one exotic species in particular, the Giant Reed (
Arundo donax L.) has had an ever-increasing negative role in the succession of riparian systems. The aggressiveness of this exotic has enabled it to invade disturbed areas along many water-courses of Southern California. Giant Reed is also capable of invading mature woodlands, interrupting the cycle of regeneration normally experienced in river systems. Giant Reed stands can become climax communities, replacing natural riparian habitats. Without active management of the vegetation, the survival of many riparian residents, including some endangered species, may be at risk. Mitigation by replacement of lost habitat must be combined with proper management of the areas surrounding those sites lest Giant Reed communities claim much new acreage.
Parent Publication
Citation
Rieger, John P.; Kreager, D. Ann. 1989. Giant Reed (
Arundo donax): A Climax Community of the Riparian Zone. In: Abell, Dana L., Technical Coordinator. 1989. Proceedings of the California Riparian Systems Conference: protection, management, and restoration for the 1990s; 1988 September 22-24; Davis, CA. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-110. Berkeley, CA: Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; p. 222-225
