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Wetland
Planting Credits
Wetlands evolved as dynamic
ecosystems, constantly changing due to the physical and chemical
processes associated with floods, drought, and
fire.
It is unlikely that wetland
managers will be able to produce a monoculture of any one plant
in an established wetland, particularly if pond bottoms
are of uneven topography. Furthermore, a
wetland with diverse habitats is valuable to a wider variety of
waterfowl and other wildlife species and will better resist the
devastating effects of plant diseases, insect pests, and
bird depredation. Diversified habitats also provide a variety of waterfowl
foods throughout the fall and winter. Even though some moist-soil plants
are poor seed producers, when flooded they may support
excellent assemblages of invertebrates. Waterfowl also utilize other
plants (e.g. cattails and "tules") for cover. An ideal seasonal wetland is
dominated by waterfowl food plants, contains other moist-soil
plants, and provides waterfowl with substantial cover.
Wildlife Values of Various Moist-soil
Plants
The wildlife value of a moist-soil
plant species is generally based on its seed production capability,
the nutritional quality of its seeds, and the invertebrate habitat
the plant provides. Management practices that encourage a diversity
of highly valuable moist-soil plants are considered most effective.
Watergrass, swamp timothy, and smartweed are the most important
moist-soil plants due to their documented value as a food
source for wintering waterfowl. Seeds of these three plants, in
aggregate, provide waterfowl and other seed-eating wildlife with a
relatively nutritionally balanced diet. However, a variety of other
wetland plants are needed to provide additional nutrition, cover,
and thermal protection. Some moist-soil plants are not good seed
producers or produce seeds with modest nutritional value, but have a
complex leaf structure and harbor rich invertebrate communities,
thus are valuable to wildlife.
Moist-soil plants with exceptional
value to wildlife include watergrass, smartweed, swamp timothy,
sprangletop, ammannia, chufa, burhead, beggarticks, annual atriplex,
goosefoot, and brass buttons. Spikerush, pricklegrass, alkali heath,
alkali weed, bermuda grass, aster, and alkali bulrush are moist-soil
plants that are believed to be only moderately valuable to wildlife,
but may be important in localized areas. Cocklebur, sweet clover,
river bulrush, tuberous bulrush, baltic rush, jointgrass, dock, and
salt grass are generally invasive and undesirable wetland
plants.
Semi-permanent Wetlands
Semi-permanent wetlands, commonly
referred to as "brood ponds", are flooded during the spring and
summer, but experience a 2-6 month dry period each year.
Semi-permanent wetlands provide breeding ducks, ducklings, and other
wetland wildlife with protection from predators and abundant
invertebrate food supplies. Water depths of 6-12" are necessary to
allow wildlife access to invertebrate foods, however deeper areas
(e.g. channels, borrow ditches) are also important in that they
provide open water. Well managed semi-permanent wetlands require
periodic discing to prevent the vegetation from becoming too dense.
In order to maximize habitat values without incurring major discing
costs, it is recommended that semi-permanent wetlands be relatively
small in size (2-10 acres). Various techniques have been developed
for integrating semi-permanent wetlands into a moist-soil management
program. Specific management practices are described in the attached
management guides.
Permanent Marshes
Permanent marshes are wetlands that
remain flooded throughout the year. Due to year-round flooding,
permanent marshes support a diverse, but usually not abundant,
population of invertebrates. However, submerged aquatic vegetation
such as sago pondweed, horned pondweed, and water hyssops may occur
if adequate water clarity exists. The leaves and/or nutlets of these
aquatic plants are commonly consumed by waterfowl, particularly
gadwalls, ring-necks, redheads, and canvasbacks. Carp and other
rough fish may reduce water clarity and prohibit the growth of these
desirable plants. Permanent marshes are important to resident
waterfowl in mid- to late summer when local ducks are molting their
flight feathers; the deep water and dense cover provide protection
from predators.
Vegetation Control
Some plants reduce the
value of a wetland to waterfowl if they become overly abundant.
Tules and/or cattails can eventually "fill in" a pond and eliminate
open water. Dense stands of tules and cattails should not occupy
more than 60% of a pond. The primary tools for tule/cattail control
are discing, mowing, and burning. Mowing and burning are only
effective when followed by discing and 2-3 months of exposure to the
sun, which is necessary in order to dry out and kill the tubers and
rhizomes. Discing tules and cattails also disturbs the soil and
provides favorable conditions for invasion by valuable moist-soil
waterfowl food plants.
Discing is typically
accomplished with either a "stubble disc" or a "finish disc". The
depth of discing varies with soil structure, soil moisture,
implement weight, tractor size, and tractor speed. Most stubble
discs have blades that range from 26-36" in diameter; these make
cuts that are 7-10" deep. Stubble discs are necessary for most types
of pond-bottom discing, however, a finish disc and ring-roller can
be used afterward to break up dirt clods and make walking easier
under flooded conditions. Deep stubble discing can adversely affect
the water-holding capacity of a wetland if the disc breaks through
the shallow clay pond bottom and into the underlying sandy soil.
Although very uncommon, this unfortunate situation can be avoided by
contacting the local Soil Conservation Service (SCS) office prior to
initiating a deep-discing or excavation project.
Finish discs, which
typically have blades that range from 18-24" in diameter, usually
make cuts that are 4-6" deep. Finish discs often suffice for discing
low-growing vegetation such as pricklegrass and swamp timothy, but
have proven totally ineffective for controlling cattails, tules,
river bulrush, Baltic rush, or other robust wetland
plants.
Summer irrigations
occasionally cause watergrass, smartweed, sprangletop, and other
valuable moist soil plants to occur in very dense stands. Waterfowl
use of these areas may be impeded unless openings are created prior
to fall flooding. With the use of a finish disc, managers can create
strips, channels, and potholes in the otherwise dense vegetation.
The appropriate time to create such openings is in July or
August.
How Wetland Planting Credits Are
Used
When you purchase a Meadow Planting Credit, you are investing into your and your children's future. The money is used to assist farmers and landowners to plan, restore and impliment a Meadow Planting project. The benefits are numerous and the return on investment is priceless.
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