APPENDIX A 



SPECIFICATIONS AND CONTRACT PERFORMANCE GUIDELINES FOR 

 THE CONSTRUCTION OF VEGETATED, STABILIZED FOREDUNES 



This appendix is a synopsis of procedures to be followed for constructing or stabilizing 

 foredunes. The sequence of events is illustrated in a flow diagram. Subsection categories and 

 numbers in the appendix follow this figure. At the end of each subsection, reference is made 

 to the appropriate section in the text for more detailed information. 

 1. Nursery Establishment. 



If the proposed planting is extensive, a nursery of bitter panicum should be established at 

 least a year and sea oats 2 years before planting, unless adequate wild stock exists. A nursery 

 ensures an abundant and easily procured supply of transplant stock of the two grasses used 

 for dune stabilization, reduces harvesting effort and time, and yields transplants of more 

 uniform size. Wild stock of sea oats may be used instead of nursery stock if it occurs as a 

 recent colonizer (small clumps or low dunes) in a low flat area protected from accumidating 

 sand. Procuring wild stock from large dunes (either actively growing or mature) is not 

 recommended due to excessive harvesting time and effort. Wild bitter panicum stock may be 

 procured from lee slopes of dunes where little fresh sand accumulates, or from recently 

 colonized low protected plains (Sec. V, 2c). 



a. Site. The nursery site should be located in a flat area away from the beach, or if near 

 the beach, the site must be leeward of an established dune line. Of primary importance is 

 minimal drifting sand. A barren, uncolonized deflation plain (following passage of a 

 migrating dune field) is a good site. A mature grassland in mid-island may also be used, but 

 should be graded to remove all vegetation 6 inches below the original surface, or fumigated 

 well in advance of planting. Periodic weeding after planting is necessary (Sec. V, 2e). 



6. Size. A 1-acre nursery of either bitter panicum or sea oats will yield a minimum of 

 100,000 transplants, enough for a beach planting 1.5 miles long and 50 feet wide. Density 

 of bitter panicum culms large enough for planting can be as high as 400,000 per acre, and 

 this number can be increased substantially by segmenting large culms into two or more 

 pieces. A bitter panicum nursery denuded for transplants in winter will be at nearly full 

 capacity by the following winter (Sec. V, 2d, 2g). 



c. Planting. The nursery should be established in monospecific units for easier 

 harvesting. Sea oats should be planted in mid-winter for first harvesting the following winter 

 or preferably the second winter. Bitter panicum should be planted in mid-winter to late 

 spring for harvesting the following winter. Planting is faster with a tobacco transplanter and 

 tractor, and requires a crew of five. If the substrate is moist to the surface, band planting 

 with a shovel is nearly as rapid, but more tedious. Machine planting a 1-acre nursery with 

 2 feet between single-culm lulls and 3 feet between rows to allow mechanical cultivation, 

 requires about 31 man-hours for bitter panicum and about 56 man-hours for sea oats. Time 



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