Long-term herbicide control of an invasive reed at Sheldon Marsh Nature Preserve

The invasive reed, Phragmites australis began to dominate Lake Erie Coastal wetlands in response to declining lake levels. Eradication and control programs have become a management priority in response to the aggressive colonization.  A common control method is the annual application of glyposate herbicide.  While short term effectiveness of this method has been studied, few efforts have been made to evaluate the long term costs and benefits.  The purpose of this work is to examine the effectiveness of glyphosate-herbicide application on the long term management of Phragmites australis.  This study takes place over a 7 year time period, from 2000 to 2007.  Effectiveness of treatment was evaluated by tracking the change of stand areas and quantity of stands over time.  Location and areas of spray sites have been monitored using hand drawn maps as well as plotting points through Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Areal satellite photography was used to calculate total area of Phragmites stands as well as determine its annual changes.   By comparing the amount of work hours, money, and herbicide to the changes in the vegetative community managers may begin to determine if glyphosate herbicide application is a viable option for control and eradication of this invasive reed.