Q, Roger Swain called that "editing the landscape."

When travelling around New England, it's obvious which fields were mown a few times after they'd been abandoned. Broadleaf trees will sprout from the root after mowing. Evergreens are dead after mowing but will shade out the broadleaf varieties quickly if they're not mown. We have a lot of solid-pine woods next to mixed broadleaf (oak, maple, birch) woods, usually with a stone wall between.