The experimental planting site at Beaufort was on the northeast side of 

 a large sandy dredged pile. Consequently, southwest winds periodically 

 moved large amounts of sand onto the planting site. Sand fences were 

 erected to prevent the planting from being smothered (Fig. 29). After 

 the first fence (1.2 meters high) was completely filled, it was necessary 

 to erect a second (Fig. 30) and finally a third fence. A strip of 

 Panicum amarulum Hitchc. § Chase (silver bunchgrass) was also seeded to 

 intercept the blowing sand. (Seed were provided by the U.S. Department 

 of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, Cape May Plant Materials 

 Center, Cape May Court House, New Jersey.) 



A similar seeding on the southwest side of a large dredged pile on 

 the Ocracoke side of Hatteras Inlet was completely destroyed by drifting 

 sand. This was seeded 13 and 14 April 1972 in the same manner as the 

 Beaufort planting; by mid-May, the seedling stand appeared comparable to 

 that at Beaufort. However, no sand fence was installed on this site 

 before the storm of 24 to 27 May, and the entire seeding was smothered by 

 the deposition of 15 centimeters of sand. Failure to protect seedings 

 from drifting sand can be critical under circumstances such as described 

 for these two sites. This experience emphasizes the potential of wind 

 erosion in transporting sand from dredge material back into the estuary. 

 By stabilizing the dredge material above the tidal zone with vegetation, 

 a significant amount of refilling of the estuary may be prevented. 



Sand deposition or erosion by waves or currents are also major threats 

 to seedling survival on exposed sites. If suitable structures could be 

 devised to protect such sites from wave action during the establishment 

 period, seeding might be feasible in many more locations than it is now. 



i. Introducing Natural Seed Sources . The encouragement of natural 

 invasion of new areas through establishment of small "seed patches" might 

 be the most economical approach in some situations. Both seedlings and 

 transplants of S. alt emi flora almost invariably produce seeds the first 

 year and large numbers of seedlings have been observed among transplants 

 during the spring of the second growing season (Fig. 31) . 



Small plantings were made for this purpose at several locations. The 

 most successful was on a large (2 or 3 hectares) dredge island near Old 

 House Channel. A small area was transplanted in May 1971 on the shore- 

 ward edge of a flat on the southeast shore of the island (Fig. 32). There 

 were no other plants of this species evident on this or the adjoining 

 islands at that time. About 26 months later, S. altevniflora occupied an 

 area of about 0.5 hectare, on each side of and shoreward from the original 

 planting (Fig. 33), which could no longer be identified. This method of 

 colonization may be appropriate where resources are limited or where rapid 

 coverage is not required. 



j. Large-Scale Seeding . An island, (which we call South Island), 

 comprising in excess of 10 hectares, has been developing for the last 18 

 months just south of Drum Inlet and several hundred meters west of the 

 barrier island. This island appears to result from sand coming in the 



63 



