Saltmeadow cordgrass is more salt tolerant but less drought resistant 

 than panicum and sea oats. It initiates dune growth on low- lying areas 

 (see Sec. ll,3,g,(l)), and can be planted along the gulf, particularly 

 where salt concentration is a problem. It has been used very little 

 along much of the gulf probably because of the drier climate. 



Sea purslane {Sesuviim portulaaastrim) occurs on the foredune and 

 often invades the backshore where it forms embryonic dunes which may be 

 eventually taken over by the dune grasses. Other fairly common plants, 

 SporoboluSj Hydroootyle^ Euphorbia, Erigeron, Cvoton, and Firribvistylis sp. 

 are seldom used. 



Bermuda grasses and St. Augustine grass may be used for turf and 

 traffic areas in this region. See discussion of these species in 

 Section Il,3,g,(2). 



(4) North Pacific Region . Coastal dunes occur extensively in 

 region and are usually associated with the larger streams. There was 

 an estimated 20,000 hectares of dunes in Oregon and lesser but substan- 

 tial areas in Washington and California in 1942 (McLaughlin and Brown, 

 1942). Much of the area consists of active or recently active dunes. 

 Many of them are large and destructive. Due to the direction of the 

 prevailing winds, northwesterly in the summer and southerly in the 

 winter, sand movement is mostly landward, and unstable sand is soon 

 moved inland out of the foredune zone. Consequently, the majority of 

 the area to be stabilized is behind this zone. 



(a) European Beachgrass . This is essentially the only 

 species planted in this region since the 1930's for the initial stabili- 

 zation of blowing sand. The ease with which this introduced beachgrass 

 can be increased and transplanted is a great advantage in stabilizing 

 large areas. No other plant is as inexpensive to use. In smaller plant- 

 ings other species might possibly offer advantages that could outweigh 

 their higher costs. European beachgrass is a very effective sand trapper 

 (Fig. 31). Unfortunately, it forms dense stands but lateral spread is 

 slow which results in dunes with steep windward slopes. Good initial 

 stands and regular maintenance of this species are essential as it does 

 not spread and fill-in as well as most dune grasses. European beachgrass 

 is competitive in the active sand zone and excludes native species. 

 This gives the dune a monotonous appearance and makes it difficult to 

 establish mixed plantings. Behind the primary zone, the grass loses 

 vigor and declines rapidly as its sand supply is cut off making it 

 essential to introduce species that can take over and replace it. 



1 Planting Method . Planting is done by hand on small 

 areas and steep slopes and by machine on large, smoother sites. In hand 

 planting, it is best to work in two-man teams with one man opening the 

 hole with a spade, shovel, or dibble and the other inserting the plant 



83 



