COASTAL UPLAND RESTORATION FOR TAMPA BAY (FLORIDA) AS A COMPONENT OF HABITAT MOSAICS

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1 COASTAL UPLAND RESTORATION FOR TAMPA BAY (FLORIDA) AS A COMPONENT OF HABITAT MOSAICS Brandt F. Henningsen, Ph.D. SWIM Program Southwest Florida Water Management District

2 Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program of the Southwest Florida Water Management District

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4 ECOSYSTEM DEGRADATION AND DESTRUCTION

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6 Historical Tampa Bay Wetland Losses Emergent Wetlands 4323 ha (10,929 ac = 44% loss of emergent wetlands) Seagrasses.6926 ha (> 17,000 ac = > 40% loss of seagrasses) Tampa Bay Poor Water Quality Point sources (wwtps) Non-point sources (stormwater runoff)

7 Management and Restoration Programs for Tampa Bay 1960s-1987: Growing awareness of problems 1987: Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Program (SWFWMD) 1991: Tampa Bay National Estuary Program Programs are the product of concerned, informed citizens, scientific studies and the political process.

8 First Comprehensive Tampa Bay Management Plan: SWIM Program of SWFWMD (1988)

9 Tampa Bay National Estuary Program: Evaluations and Management Plan (CCMP)

10 Plans rely on use of Normative Forecasting: defining a future reality and what steps must be taken to achieve that reality (100 year timeframe )

11 Restoration and Management Plans for Tampa Bay Water/Sediments Bay Habitats Fish & Wildlife Long Term Restoration and Mgmt. of Tampa Bay Dredging/Material Management Spill Prevention/Response Public Education & Involvement

12 TWO OPPORTUNITIES EXIST Conserve remaining habitats Give Mother Nature a helping hand

13 First SWIM Restoration Project

14 Restore emergent wetlands along shorelines Freshly planted 1 year of growth

15 843 acres restored

16 Terra Ceia Ecosystem Restoration Project: 843 acres Wetlands & Uplands Completed to Date (July 2012)

17 120 acres restored

18 Tampa Port Authority Parcel Restored Schultz Preserve (120 acres)

19 Almost 100% Partially 500 acres restored

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21 SWIM HABITAT RESTORATION: ACREAGE ac ac ac ac ac ac ac ac ac ac ac ac ac ac ac ac ac ac ac ac ac ac ac Total = 2990 acres 85 projects

22 First Rule of Ecology: Everything is connected to everything else!!!

23 BUT: by 1990, up to 95% of historic upland communities within one mile of the bay s shorelines no longer existed

24 HABITAT MOSAICS Low and high marsh Mangrove forest Salterns Mudflats Shallow and deep open water Hard bottom Seagrass meadows Tidal creeks Transitional habitats Island hammocks Freshwater wetlands Uplands

25 Tampa Bay Habitat Mosaics

26 Habitat Mosaics = Ecosystem Restoration

27 Tampa Bay Estuary Program Management Plan Paradigm: Restoring the Balance Re-establish percentages of differing coastal/estuarine habitats in direct proportion to (estimated) historical percentages of those habitats

28 Unfortunately, TBEP Management Plan does not really address restoration of coastal uplands but it s coming!

29 THE SECRET TO SUCCESSFUL RESTORATION: MIMIC NATURE!!!!!

30 Ecosystem restoration isn t rocket science, it s much more complicated than that! - Famous Unknown Restoration Ecologist

31 Of the three major types of coastal communities, uplands are the most difficult to restore A very young, emerging science concerning coastal upland restoration Little to no precedence for this type of restoration

32 Tampa Bay coastal upland restoration involves 3 primary types of communities: 1. Pine flatwoods 2. Hardwood hammock 3. Mixed pine-hardwood Of the 85 SWIM restoration projects performed since 1989, 51% (43 projects) have included upland restoration components ranging from 0.1 to 726 acres

33 Terra Ceia Ecosystem Restoration Project: 843 acres Wetlands & Uplands Completed to Date (July 2012)

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35 Coastal Upland Restoration: A Slow, Complicated Process

36 Non-Native Plant Species Threaten Upland Habitats Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius) Australian pine (Casuarina spp) Cogon grass (Imperata spp) Guinea grass (Panicum maximum) Para grass (Brachiaria mutica) Literally 100s of other species

37 Non-native plants are TOUGH!!!!!!

38 Coastal Non-Native Plant Communities

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40 Tunnel through Australian Pine Forest Australian Pine trees cleared

41 Upland restoration experiments included: 1. Basic planting in cleared farm fields 2. Mulching then planting 3. Playing with variables such as disking, mowing, scraping, burning, and/or installation of various numbers/densities of understory and overstory plant species 4. Various approaches to controlling non-native and nuisance vegetation

42 Preliminary Test Plots Using Mulch Preliminary test plots mulch composed of: o Brazilian pepper and Australian pine trees o Recycled yard waste (grass, leaves, shrubs/trees Mulch depths 4 36 Three test plots done 1992 and 1998 (1-5 ac) Success of test plots encouraging

43 Clearing/chipping non-native plants for mulch

44 1st mulch experiments 1 ac years later

45 Before/after prep of 5 ac cogon grass site Site burned sprayed

46 Delivering - spreading mulch

47 Mulch spreading + measurement techniques

48 Mulch experiment fully spread

49 Mulch thickness experiment: 18 mo old

50 18 of mulch stopping growth of cogon grass

51 Mulched vs unmulched differences

52 Land Clearing and Mulching-in-Place Hydroaxe Forestry mulcher

53 One pass with hydroaxe Clear and mulch-in-place Forestry mulcher

54 45 ac fallow farm field experiment 1998 Fallow farm field Prepping field for mulch Disking to clear vegetation and remove furrows

55 Delivering/spreading mulch plant holes & layout

56 Native Plant Species Used in Mulched Upland Restoration Projects 13 overstory species + 13 understory species including: So. Fla. Slash Pine Fla. Privet Sabal Palm Saw Palmetto Eastern Gamagrass So. Red Cedar Live Oak So. Magnolia Wax myrtle Beautyberry

57 Installing/freshly installed 3 gal native plants

58 Freshly installed 3 gal native plants with pre-emergent and watered

59 Clam Bayou Phase 3 of Tampa Bay Volunteers from Pinellas County Florida Native Plant Society and St. Petersburg Chapter of National Audubon

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62 Monitoring of Effectiveness of Mulch as Tool for Coastal Upland Restoration Various Parameters Monitored: Initial & 180 days Plant Growth Soil/Mulch Nutrients Organic Matter ph Soluble Salts Plant Survivorship C:N Ratios Metals Cation Exchange Soil Temp/Moisture

63 1 Year Growth

64 2 Years Growth

65 Various Species 8 Years Growth

66 Orange stake=3 8 Years Growth

67 8 Years Growth

68 8 Years Growth Plants successfully reproducing/spreading

69 Panorama of 8 Years of Growth Mixed hardwood-pine forest

70 14 Years Growth

71 Live oak years growth

72 15 years growth canopy closing hardwood forest

73 14 Years Growth

74 14 Years Growth: Canopy Closing Mixed Hardwood-Pine Forest

75 20 years growth

76 Mixed Hardwood- Pine Forest 20 years growth

77 Mixed Hardwood-Pine Forest 20 years growth (with recently transplanted sabal palms)

78 Mulch an Organic Duff within 3-5 Years

79 10 month old pine flatwoods

80 7 to 15 year old pine flatwoods

81 10 years growth pine flatwoods

82 10 years growth pine flatwoods

83 10 years growth pine flatwoods

84 10 years growth pine flatwoods

85 Pine flatwoods saw palmetto - 10 years growth

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87 Upland Restoration Problems: It s Not a Cake Walk!!

88 Mulch fires

89 Non-native vines growing over surface/plants

90 Vines could impend/kill native plants

91 Eventual non-native plant growth --- must control!!!

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94 Cogon and particularly guinea grass must be controlled

95 At least in Florida, quarterly maintenance is a serious challenge!!! At a minimum, must perform quarterly site maintenance through mowing and selective herbicide spraying

96 Recycled excavate with top dressing of sand for pine flatwoods 3 months growth

97 Same pine flatwoods 4 years growth failure as a pine flatwoods but is a reasonably grassed prairie!

98 Erosion of thin sand top dressing, leaving silt-clay-cobble soils Inadequate construction management insufficient sand top dressing

99 Feral pig damage Dumping of Debris

100 Prescribed burns: important management tool

101 Conclusions Concerning Coastal Upland Restoration Coastal upland restoration should be included for ecosystem restoration important part of system Minimize ground disturbance when prepping site Do not use mulch for pine flatwoods restoration, only hardwood/mixed hardwood-pine communities If use mulch, ideal depth appears to be 9-18 Mulch significantly suppresses weed/non-native plant growth, giving preferred plants some competitive edge (18-24 months) Stake plants with visible poles for early years (> 4 )

102 Conclusions Continued Use pre-emergent around freshly installed plants Limit # species planted only to the hardiest Sufficient watering of plants critically important Human error can contribute to some plant death Regular maintenance critical for long term success For Florida, prescribed burns needed for long term success Research and field observations indicate upland habitats being robustly used by wildlife

103 Coastal Upland Restoration: a very young science Be Imaginative: Experiment!!

104 The End

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106 Lessons Learned Concerning Use of Mulch for Coastal Upland Restoration Pre-mulch field preparations Spreading of mulch + dust problems Mulch thickness: too thin vs too thick Nuisance/exotic seed source within mulch Nuisance/exotic growth around installed plants Nuisance/exotic growth over mulch surface Improper installation of native plants

107 Lessons Learned Continued Mulch temporarily acts as nitrogen sink Threat of fire

108 Mowing/non-native plant control a priority Recommendations Concerning Use of Mulch for Coastal Upland Restoration Minimize disturbance to area being mulched Ideal mulch depth appears to be 6-18 Bulldozer is best method to spread mulch Cook mulch prior to spreading (3-30 days) Use pre-emergent around freshly installed plants Properly install native plants and water Post installation maintenance and watering

109 Recommendations Continued Do not use mulch for pine flatwoods restoration Limit # species planted to hardiest Mark installed plants with > 4 tall PVC stakes Chunky woody mulch lasts longer than finer, grass/leaf/shrub mulch May want to consider adding N to plants during N-sink period (but apparently not necessary) Beware of fire for first 5-7 years

110 Cockroach Bay Upland Restoration Time Series 0 10 yrs

111 4 Years Growth site mowed

112 2 Years Growth

113 4 Years Growth site mowed

114 Site mowed 4 Years Growth

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120 Conclusions Concerning Use of Mulch for Coastal Upland Restoration Ideal mulch depth appears to be 6-18 Use bulldozer to spread mulch Mulch significantly suppresses weed/exotic plant growth, giving preferred plants competitive edge (18-24 months) Provides additional nutrients and organic matter for (apparently) faster plant growth Stabilizes soil temperatures and moisture content Cook mulch prior to spreading (3-30 days)

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