NATURALIST'S 



NOTEBOOK 



Finding Solutions 



The "cryptic invasion" discovery provides 

 a scientific explanation of the aggressive 

 characteristics of Phragmites australis in recent 

 decades. But, resource managers are left with 

 the daunting challenge to find effective and 

 efficient counter attack methods. 



The Kitty Hawk Woods research is a 

 beginning volley. 



"Some resource managers dealing with 

 hundreds of acres of Phragmites australis have 

 great resources to map and combat its spread," 

 Droszcz explains. 



For example, many National Wildlife Ref- 

 uges employ aerial spraying with a glysphosate 

 herbicide late in the growing season, followed by 

 prescribed burning or removal of dead stalks. 



However, wide-scale spraying is not an 

 option at reserves such as Kitty Hawk Woods 

 because of the possible negative effects on 

 environmentally important nontarget plants. 



Instead, the APNEP-funded study is taking 

 a smaller-scale approach, Droszcz explains. 

 As a first step, Elizabeth Noble, director of the 

 Remote Sensing Lab at Elizabeth City State 

 University, helped map patches of Phragmites 

 australis in Kitty Hawk Woods using Global 

 Information System (GIS) technology. 



As high-tech as it sounds, someone still 

 must physically walk the marshes to locate the 

 patches and send the positioning signals to 

 the satellite using a hand-held device, Noble 

 explains. Subsequently, the data is downloaded 

 to a computer to overlay on available 

 topographic maps with the same coordinates. 



"It was no walk in the park for the student 

 intern," asserts Kyle Hall, the Elizabeth City State 

 GIS technician working with Droszcz on the 

 project. 



Hall searched the scientific literature to 

 learn about the various control methods being 

 used in both large- and small-scale situations. 



"There never has been a side-by-side 

 comparison study done before as far as we can 

 tell," he notes. 



For the study, he constructed a total of six 

 30' x 30' sections in dense patches of Phragmites 

 australis to test six different control approaches: 

 • cut and bum; 



• cut once at the beginning of the growing 

 season; 



• cut monthly to knee-height; 



• mash down and cut below water level to 

 "drown" canes; 



• cut to the ground and cover with plastic to cut 

 off sunlight needed for photosynthesis; and, 



• cut and spray with aquatic herbicide. 



"Some of the literature mention chopping 

 the rhizomes, but we did not use this method 

 because of the danger that pieces could float 

 away and colonize in other areas," Hall says. 



So far, the monthly, multiple-cut approach 

 is looking good, and the drowning is promising, 

 he reports. Though the grant support has ended, 

 Droszcz and Hall will continue the study through 

 another growi ng season . 



Preserving Diversity 



Nearby at The Nature Conservancy's Nags 

 Head Woods, Aaron McCall also is combating 

 Phragmites in patch-by-patch skirmishes. The 

 machete had been his weapon of choice until 

 recently when he switched to a gas-powered 

 hedge trimmer. 



For now, he is concentrating efforts in 

 freshwater ponds filled with diverse aquatic 

 species — including a rare water violet. 



'You have to choose your battles," says Mc- 

 Call, who has tried varied control methods from 

 the cut-spray-remove thatch approach to the 

 cut-and-drown approach. 



"I haven't attacked a patch of Phragmites 

 at the edge of the marsh (on the sound side), 

 where it is acting as a buffer from wind and wave 

 erosion. Removing it may cause more harm than 

 good," he explains. 



Patches of the invasive aquatic plant were 

 first detected in the pristine maritime forest about 

 seven years ago. McCall has been on the front 

 lines there for more than five years. 



The Kitty Hawk Woods' staff has been 

 waging the battle for about that long. "All control 

 methods are labor intense and require diligent 

 monitoring," says Hall. 



But with biodiversity of coastal wetlands, 

 shallow sounds and productive estuaries from 

 Corolla to Calabash at stake, finding a way to win 

 the battle is an imperative. □ 



TOP TO BOTTOM: Phragmites australis 

 can overtake a marsh in a single growing season. 

 • The invasive plant's gnarly rhizomes branch 

 out to reproduce exponentially. • Aaron McCall 

 is combating Phragmites in patch-by-patch 

 skirmishes at Nags Head Woods. 



For Further Information 



• To order free copies of the APNEP- 

 funded brochure, Removing Phragmites, the 

 Invasive Weed, e-mail Michele Droszcz at 

 michele. droszcz@ncmail. net. 



• To order a copy of the North Carolina 

 Sea Grant publication, Invasive Aquatic and 

 Wetland Plants Field Guide (UNC-SG-01 -1 5), 

 send a check for $1 5 to North Carolina 



Sea Grant, NC State University, Box 8605, 

 Raleigh, NC 27695-8605. 



26 HOLIDAY 2004 



