Broom (Cytisus scoparius) at Barrington Tops,New South Wales

Broom was introduced to the northern part of the Barrington Tops plateau in the 1840s Particularly since 1969, when cattle grazing and associated burning ceased in the area, Broom has spread over c 10,000 hectares, mostly in the State Forest and National Park In eucalypt-dominated vegetation, Broom invasion is shown to cause substantial reduction in species richness and foliage projective cover of native understorey vegetation, including number of eucalypt seedlings Reasons for Brooms success, and possible outcomes, are discussed Control measures to date have been ineffective; biological control appears to offer the best future prospects.