Ann Arbor, Mich. –  Twelve organizations in the Great Lakes basin will receive more than $145,000 to combat invasive Phragmites, one of the most aggressive plants invading North America. The grants have been awarded through the Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework (PAMF), a regional partnership led by the Great Lakes Commission that uses data to more effectively fight invasive Phragmites.

Invasive Phragmites australis can quickly overtake wetlands, degrading wildlife habitat and crowding out native vegetation. The plant can also impact public safety, recreational access, and property values. Managing it is challenging and often costly, requiring combinations of herbicide treatments, cutting, flooding, or prescribed burning. The effectiveness of these approaches can vary significantly depending on local conditions.

PAMF participants contribute information about treatment methods and results to a predictive model that continuously improves its understanding of what works, where and under which conditions. The new grants are part of the third cycle of a PAMF program that aims to further improve Phragmites management by providing grants to local organizations to implement certain combinations of management actions on which data is lacking. As more data are collected, the model will provide increasingly reliable, site-specific guidance to help land managers make informed decisions, use limited resources more efficiently and achieve better long-term results.