Short‐term gain and long‐term pain: Lessons learnt from the control of Lachnagrostis filiformis (fairy grass) in Victoria,Australia

The indigenous Lachnagrostis filiformis colonized extensive areas of dry lake beds in Victoria, Australia, during the drought from 1997 to 2009. Large numbers of the plants' detached seed heads disperse in the wind, lodging against nearby housing, fences and other obstacles. This accumulation of material creates a fire hazard, degrades townships' aesthetics and presents a nuisance to the communities of lake‐side towns. This study aimed to examine the effects of various control methods on L. filiformis in the short and long term. Although herbicide applications, slashing, grazing and burning were found to be effective in controlling the blown L. filiformis seed heads in the short term, they failed to prevent subsequent reinvasion and can increase its abundance in the long term. The late application of herbicide resulted in an increase in the foliage cover and seed‐head biomass of L. filiformis by up to 37% and 150%, respectively, in the year following the treatment application. The results from this study highlight how management focused on achieving short‐term goals, without consideration of the successional trajectory after implementation, can not only fail but be counter‐productive in the long term. In order to achieve sustainable management, the fundamental ecological processes that promote the establishment and persistence of the weed need to be addressed.