The ecology of tussock grasslands: Forestry in relation to the tussock grasslands

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To many, if not to most people, the forests and the tussock grasslands must seem very different things; but the truth of the matter is that the links between the two are very close. If we are to obtain a thorough understanding of tussock grassland ecology, we must study the history of these grasslands. We then find that many present types of tussock grassland occupy sites and soils previously occupied by forest; and that the type of tussock grassland on any particular site depends partly upon the type of forest displaced, partly upon the time that has elapsed since the forest was destroyed, partly upon the method of forest destruction, and partly upon whether or not climates remain true forest climates. Further, both the forests and the grasslands have been profoundly modified by introduced exotic mammals which move freely between the two habitat types. The behaviour of the animals cannot be understood without an understanding of all portions of their habitat. The forest and the tussock grasslands cannot be separated for study purposes. The animals are an indissoluble bond between the two.