Title

Monitoring the Control of Invasive Phragmites australis to Inform Adaptive Management.

Document Type

Conference Paper/Presentation

Publication Date

2017

Abstract

An invasive phenotype of Phragmites australis has been aggressively colonizing coastal Great Lakes wetlands, negatively affecting habitat, biodiversity, and ecosystem health. Management (herbicide, burning and mowing) to control this aggressive invader has been implemented across the Great Lakes in many small and large efforts with varying degrees of success. Mapping the distribution of this invader and monitoring treatment areas for effects (e.g. standing dead stems, regrowth of the invader or restoration of native plants) are needed for effective management and control, however mapping and monitoring is often not included in control efforts. Recent research was conducted to investigate the effects of Phragmites treatment and to test the applicability of various mapping and field monitoring methodologies through comparison of paired treated and untreated Phragmites-dominant sites in Green and Saginaw Bays. High resolution (5 cm to 5 m) imagery was evaluated for: (1) its utility in development of comprehensive distribution maps that clearly show outliers, regrowth, standing dead and pathways of invasion at a fine enough scale to direct management actions; and (2) its use as a monitoring tool in comparison to field-based transect sampling.

Publisher's Statement

Publisher's version of record: http://iaglr.org/conference/downloads/2017_abstracts.pdf

Publication Title

IAGLR's 60th annual Conference on Great Lakes Research

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS