Recent advances in restoration ecology, with a focus on the Banksia woodland and the smoke germination tool

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Abstract
This paper details some of the recent research findings concerning restoration needs of the Banksia woodland in Western Australia, including the importance of, and recent advances in, smoke-technology research. Research has enabled testing of a wide spectrum of restoration technologies that enhance plant replacement at sites via treatments of the topsoil seedbank, broadcast seed and seedlings. By the use of smoke technology, which in some systems produces a 48-fold increase in the total number of germinants and a 3-fold increase in the number of species at restoration sites, improved species replacement is a very real possibility in Banksia woodland. At the same time, some commonly employed practices in restoration are a cause for concern, including the application of a herbicide widely used to control a priority Banksia-woodland weed and fire-suppressing agents used to assist fire management. These findings may have broader implications for restoration programs.

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