Mowing inhibits the invasion of the alien species Solidago altissima and is an effective management strategy

Biological invasions of exotic plant species affect nutrient cycling, soil characteristics, ecosystem stability, and biodiversity. Therefore, management measures to protect the ecosystem and native species against invasive species are becoming more important. The tall goldenrod, Solidago altissima L., is an invasive alien plant with currently limited distribution on Jeju island, South Korea, while successfully invading areas with similar climates in China and Japan. Therefore, it has a high possibility of invasion and may have an adverse effect on the ecosystem of Jeju Island. This study aimed to develop an environmentally friendly management strategy to control S. altissima while understanding the major factor that makes the difference of invasion success between Japan and Jeju island. Plant communities were monitored and allelopathic effects of S. altissima were tested. Furthermore, the effectiveness of mowing at varying frequencies and timing for the control of S. altissima were applied. S. altissima already dominates several plant communities on Jeju Island, harms the plant community via allelopathy, and reduces biodiversity. However, our study shows that mowing is an effective method to control S. altissima populations. Mowing inhibits early invasion of S. altissima and also reduces dominance and reproductive features of S. altissima where invasion has already been processed. Therefore, mowing should be adopted for the management of S. altissima invasion. Mowing is an environmentally friendly management method for the control of S. altissima and could be applied to other invasive species.