Invasive plant control is a core part of land stewardship, but long-term success can be hard to predict, especially across large, complex landscapes where budgets and staff time are limited. In our new open-access paper in Ecological Applications, we asked a practical question: when managers invest real effort in invasive plant control over many years, what actually determines whether infestations decline or are eradicated, and whether native plants recover?

Oak woodlands are some of California’s most important landscapes. They support high biodiversity, provide services like carbon storage and water regulation, and hold deep cultural value. But many oak woodlands are increasingly threatened by invasive annual grasses. These grasses can crowd out native wildflowers, build up dry “thatch” that carries fire, and alter how these ecosystems function.

The historical management of agroecological systems, such as California's rangelands, have received criticism for a singular focus on agricultural production goals, while society has shifting expectations to the supply of multiple ecosystem services from these working landscapes.