(4) Direct seeding presents some possibilities which are worth 

 exploring, but at this point it seems likely to supplement rather than 

 replace vegetative planting on most dune and beach areas. 



8. IMPROVED STRAINS OF AMERICAN BEACHGRASS 



The fact that American beachgrass apparently was not native to the 

 North Carolina coast would seem to make it particularly appropriate to look 

 for strains within the species that are better adapted to this area than 

 others. 



Considerable variation in plant type was observed in the 1962 nursery 

 planting of this species. Consequently, 18 clones were selected from this 

 material in the winter of 1962-1963, encompassing a wide range in stem size, 

 rhizome production, and general vigor. These were multiplied in the nursery, 

 and nine were transplanted to the Banks in replicated strain tests in the 

 1964-1965 planting season. Although at least another year or two will be 

 required to fully evaluate these tests, there are four selections which, so 

 far, appear to stand out in vigor and rate of spread. These will probably 

 be put in increase plots this winter to provide material for larger scale 

 tests in the future. 



It is much too early to say that any of these selections are superior 

 for North Carolina conditions, but at this point some of them appear quite 

 prom i s i ng . 



9. DUNE BUILDING 



The "growing" of natural dunes along the coast as a result of vegeta- 

 tion trapping blown sand has been observed by many, yet little seems to be 

 known about this process. Since foredunes must be stabilized in order to 

 be effective, and since planting of such areas is often difficult due to 

 their rough nature and steep slopes, it seemed desirable to explore "growing" 

 planted dunes. In March 1964 on Ocracoke and on the Core Banks, trial 

 plantings were established in areas devoid of foredunes. Cross sections 

 taken in July 1965, about 15 months after planting, showed the accumulation 

 of as much as 16 cubic yards of sand per running foot of beach for a planting 

 of American beachgrass 100 feet in depth. Since each planting was only about 

 100 feet long, it was exposed to blowing sand from all sides. This would 

 tend to exaggerate the estimate of the amounts of wind-blown sand available 

 i n the area but shoul d sti I I g i ve a rea I i stic f igure for capacity of the 

 planting to trap sand. 



Following these trial plantings, more formal and much more extensive 

 tests were initiated on Core Banks and Ocracoke Island in the winter of 

 1964-1965, and those on Core Banks were further expanded in 1965-1966. It 

 is too early to report on these trials, but it may be noted that they include 

 such variables as plant spacing, number of stems per hill, width of planted 

 strip, sand fences, and American beachgrass versus sea oats. Preliminary re- 

 sults appear promising for the general objective, i.e., "growing" stabilized 

 dunes. 



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