CONTENTS 



Page 



CONVERSION FACTORS, U.S. CUSTOMARY TO METRIC (SI) 10 



GLOSSARY 11 



I INTRODUCTION 13 



II BACKGROUND 13 



1. Role of Marshes In Shore Stabilization 13 



a . Wave Attenuation and Sediment Trapping 13 



b. Soil Reinforcement 15 



2 . Coastal Salt Marshes of the United States 15 



a. Eastern Region Marshes 17 



b. Western Region Marshes 19 



3. Establishing Coastal Marshes for Shore Stabilization 20 



a. Invasion and Recovery in Natural Marshes 20 



b. Planting to Encourage Establishment 21 



c. Research on Planting to Control Erosion 22 



III EVALUATING SITE SUITABILITY 25 



1 . Factors Influencing Planting Success 25 



a. Soils 25 



(1) Type 25 



(2) Salinity 26 



(3) Oxygen-Aeration 27 



b . Exposure to Direct Sunlight 28 



c . Shore Width Available for Planting 28 



d. Sediment Supply 30 



e . Summary 30 



(1) Soil Type 30 



(2) Salinity 30 



( 3) Oxygen-Aeration 30 



(4) Exposure to Direct Sunlight 30 



(5) Shore Width Available for Planting 30 



(6) Sediment Supply 30 



2. Evaluating Wave Climate Severity 31 



a. Fetch 31 



b. Shore Configuration 31 



c. Sediment grain size 34 



d . Winds 34 



e . Ship-Generated waves 34 



f. Offshore Depth 34 



g. Tidal Currents 37 



h. Discussion 37 



1. Summary 37 



IV SELECTING PLANT SPECIES, PLANT MATERIALS, AND PLANTING TECHNIQUES... 38 



1. Selecting Plant Species 38 



a. Principal Species 38 



b. Other Useful Species 38 



2 . Selecting Plant Materials 40 



3 . Selecting Planting Techniques 42 



