About the Project

Phragmites australis is an invasive grass species that affects many marshes along the U.S east coast, often displacing native grasses. Removing Phragmites has been a decades-long management goal as managers seek to restore native high marsh habitat and ecosystem functions and services. Phragmites removal and restoration efforts have proven beneficial for habitat and biodiversity. However, its removal has potentially negative impacts on water quality and carbon storage. A potential approach for managing tradeoffs associated with Phragmites removal is to use prescribed fire. While prescribed fire is a common method for vegetation removal, there has been limited research on the biogeochemical benefits provided by burned biomass or “biochar” left behind after these fires. Collaborating with regional coastal managers, this project team compared salt marshes with and without a history of prescribed burns at Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve and nearby marshes to better quantify how prescribed burns and biochar impacts marshes and their ecosystem services.

About this Resource

This report summarizes impacts of removing Phragmites via prescribed burning on marsh ecosystem services in the Mid- Atlantic. The report highlights how prescribed burns fit within a climate adaptive framework for restoration that considers sea level rise, landward migration of marshes, and salinization of marsh soils. It also covers economic, safety, and ecological considerations related to prescribed burns in these systems.

This report was authored in a collaboration with the Biochar in Marsh Restoration Advisory Committee (BiMRAC) and is intended to facilitate knowledge exchange among Delaware state agencies and conservation organizations such as DNREC, the CIB and PDE National Estuary Programs, US Fish & Wildlife Service, and Delaware Wild Lands.