I ask this question because when I worked at ADAS Pwllpeiran Research Centre in mid Wales, common rush had become invasive in the improved areas of the grazed upland organic pastures The control measure was cutting and grazing as it was held that this was more effective than either cutting or grazing alone. On my own organic holding, similar management also led to increased rush infestation in permanent pasture and so in 2017 we ceased grazing and planted 9 hectares of broadleaved trees under the Farm Woodland Improvement scheme. The site is steeply sloping and the land is wet, so mechanical weeding has not been possible. Despite the lack of weed control, trees have established and in two years a significant depth of grass biomass has developed and grasses appears to be dominating and out-competing the rush.
Since the flowers of rushes are wind-pollinated, they are highly sensitive for movement. Hence, animal grazing is more likely to aid the dissemination of flower pollens into a large area. That may be the reason you primarily observed an increase in Juncus infestation. In fact, one of the factors for invasion of many invasive plants around the globe is cattle grazing. On the other hand, rushes could help minimize soil erosion especially in sloppy areas. But in your case, the establishment of trees obviously had a greater impact on regeneration of undergrowth grasses that could outcompete the common rush. Therefore, this is another evidence that agro-forestry interventions could mitigate weed problems.
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