Cost-effective control of invasive reed in a protected alpine mire

Reed is an invasive perennial grass that grows on wetlands and spreads to the detriment of other native species. The eventual dominance of reed may cause a severe loss of plant species diversity, and dramatically alter natural habitats. Reed control can follow a number of different practices, which are all expensive. However, the financial sustainability of reed control can be increased by turning reed biomass into energy feedstock, delivered to local wood-fuelled facilities. In this experiment, invasive reed was cut, windrowed, baled and extracted to the roadside using versatile equipment borrowed from agriculture, in order to minimize investment cost. Efficient operation allowed to contain the collection cost and possibly accrued some profit. In the worst case scenario, collection may still incur small financial losses, which are not larger than the cost of less desirable cutting-to-waste. The quality of reed fuel is quite good, because the collection system allows for efficient reed drying and chopped reed does not seem to cause any major slagging problems, contrary to straw. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.