Study

Diverse characteristics of wetlands restored under the Wetlands Reserve Program in the southeastern United States

  • Published source details De S.D. & Gramling J.M. (2012) Diverse characteristics of wetlands restored under the Wetlands Reserve Program in the southeastern United States. Wetlands, 32, 593-604.

Actions

This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

Action Category

Restore/create freshwater marshes or swamps (specific action unclear)

Action Link 		Marsh and Swamp Conservation
  1. Restore/create freshwater marshes or swamps (specific action unclear)

    A replicated study in 2010 of 53 wetland restoration/creation sites in the southeast USA (De Steven & Gramling 2012) reported that they developed stands of native wetland vegetation after 2–11 years. The sites had developed into herbaceous, shrubby or forested habitats (or a mixture of these). The overall plant community in restored/created sites was characteristic of undisturbed local wetlands (data reported as a wetland indicator index and conservatism score). Of the 21–31 dominant plant species in each site, at least 86–91% were wetland species (capable of growing in wetlands) whilst 59–69% were wetland-characteristic species (that always or usually grow in wetlands rather than uplands). Between 93 and 96% of species were native. These averages mask the fact that in 6–8 of the 53 sites, the overall plant community was characteristic of drier conditions (based on the wetland indicator index) and/or <40% of plant species were wetland-characteristic. Methods: Dominant plant species (>20% cover in any layer of vegetation) were surveyed in 53 wetland restoration/creation sites in July–August 2010. Most or all sites were probably fresh rather than saline (not explicitly reported). Restoration or creation was completed 2–11 years previously using interventions such as ditch blocking, excavation, relandscaping and tree planting. The study does not report details of restoration/creation methods, or separate results for marsh and swamp vegetation.

    (Summarised by: Nigel Taylor)

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