To chop or not to chop? Tackling shrub encroachment by roller-chopping preserves woody plant diversity and composition in a dry subtropical forest

•Roller-chopping with different frequencies was applied to disrupt the shrub layer.•Alpha diversity of woody plants differed only slightly among treatments.•Beta diversity of the treated areas was higher than that of the untreated plots.•Species composition of the treated plots differed little from the control plots.•Roller-chopping is a good management tool to reduce woody plant encroachment.