After visiting a salt marsh and witnessing first hand the destruction caused by Super Storm Sandy, I would immediately agree that salt marsh restoration is crucial in maintaing the unique features of such a productive eco-system. However, Bill Sheehan’s quote, “Phragmites. It is green most of the time, and it ain’t condos,” implies the opposite. Phragmites might not be as ecologically productive as spartina grass, but the phragmites is still more useful to the environment than paving over the salt marsh to create condominiums.
Due to the low salt levels of many salt marshes, phragmites is growing in environments where spartina grass is usually found. Nonetheless, phragmites provides habitat for many fishes and is utilized by many bird species. In the short term, destroying the phragmites and restoring the marsh would mean a loss of wetlands. In addition, the spartina grass might not grow back, and other native species are often killed during phragmites removal. Certainly, this kind of restoration sounds more destructive than effective.
Restoring a salt marsh is complicated, but I do not think the only options are maintaining non-native plants or creating apartment buildings, as Bill Sheehan mentions. When restored, a natural community returns to the marsh and food webs are re-established. Restoring a marsh is possible, important, and does have benefits. However, this work needs to be done by a group of experts who are invested in the completion of the project. The experts, whose motivation should be to improve the environment, would hopefully ensure that the work that was done did not further harm the salt marsh. The work will be slow, but the final product will have a positive impact on the eco-system. This type of restoration is effective, as opposed to bulldozing the phragmites or killing the plant with herbicide.
There is a second quality of phragmites that Sheehan does not mention, but that would probably impact his favorable view of phragmites. In connection to our conversation in class about weeds, phragmites, while a productive plant, is growing like a weed. This does not mean the plant is undesirable, but it does mean that it is growing uncontrollably, in non-native environments. Phragmites might be useful right now, but the long term effects of the plant in areas it does not belong could be harmful to the environment. Phragmites does need to be contained in order for it to continue to be a productive element in the eco-system. Anything in large quantities posses trouble for the environment.
Bill Sheehan is correct when he says that phragmites is more useful than condos, but salt marsh estuaries, with both spartina and phragmites grass is even better than just phragmites. Restoration of the marsh with native plants is a must.
