A patch of rare savanna habitat in the Ottawa Valley has recovered remarkably well after decades under a planted pine forest, according to a study examining restoration efforts at a site called The Sandhills near Constance Bay, Ontario. Researchers from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada compared a cleared hectare, where planted pine trees had been removed and pine litter cleared away, against the surrounding Red Pine plantation still standing nearby. The clearing work itself required only about 5 people working for less than 2 weeks, after which native savanna vegetation largely re-established itself naturally, helped along by seeds drifting in from nearby remnant patches along old paths and firebreaks. Biodiversity in the restored clearing turned out to be substantially higher than in the plantation, with more flowering plants, shrubs and regionally rare species taking hold once the pine canopy and its accumulated litter were finally cleared away for good.
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