Non-native Phragmites australis is known for being difficult to eradicate once established in an area. But what makes it such a problem some invader? Part of it has to do with the grasses’ extensive and hardy root and rhizome system. In this post, we go into what is the rhizome system and why it is a key component is Phragmites management.

Each August, PAMF participants receive effective and efficient Phragmites management guidance customized for each management unit (MU) enrolled in PAMF. This guidance is based on our most updated model learning and the MU’s current site conditions. However, this timeframe may not be ideal for managers that need to make management planning decisions earlier in the year. To provide greater flexibility in using PAMF guidance to inform decision making, PAMF is now offering two new options in addition to August guidance: 1) request mid-cycle forecasting guidance, or 2) implement guidance after a lag year. Continue reading to learn more!

As we reach the end of Phragmites translocation phase and the start of the dormant phase, it’s a good time to take a moment to celebrate the things that we’ve accomplished this past year and reflect on those things that maybe did not go quite as we planned. This is a time to both plan for the coming year, repeat our successes, and to adjust for the 2020 field season to do it all again!

The results are in, and all that monitoring paid off! We ran the numbers and wanted to share them with the broader PAMF community. In this blog post we will provide a brief summary of what we have learned over the past cycle.

PAMF uses data collected by its participants to update the learning model in order to provide efficient and effective Phragmites management guidance. Ensuring that data are collected in a standardized format is critical to providing high quality guidance. Check out our tips for reporting the best possible data to avoid some common mistakes when you submit your next monitoring and management reports!

Ever wonder what PAMF does with all that data you collect? PAMF’s standardized protocol has you collecting data from stem counts to percent establishment, management actions to costs incurred. In this blog post, we’ll lay out in a bit more detail how these data inform PAMF’s statistical model and site-specific guidance.

Phragmites seems to be everywhere in the Great Lake region – but where did it come from? Read more to find out!

Phragmites seems to be everywhere in the Great Lake region – but where did it come from? Read more to find out!

If you are a PAMF participant, then congratulations! You’ve received data-driven management guidance for the 2018/19 PAMF cycle! Here we tell you what we really mean by “data-drive” and help you in your next steps of implementing the guidance you received!

August 30, 2018 – Etienne Herrick, USGS Great Lakes Science Center With invasive Phragmites australis now pervasive throughout the majority of the Great Lakes region, it can be tempting to tackle every stem you encounter. However, another subspecies of Phragmites –...

July 30, 2018 - Etienne Herrick and Sydni Joubran, USGS Great Lakes Science Center PAMF’s 16 Management Combinations: Where Do They Come From? As PAMF participants across the Great Lakes basin collect and submit their monitoring data to the Web Hub throughout the...

June 29, 2018 - Etienne Herrick, USGS Great Lakes Science Center With July right around the corner, it will soon be time to collect and submit monitoring data for your management units enrolled with PAMF. While monitoring may seem but one of many...

Given Phragmites’ aggressive spread throughout the Great Lakes region, it is easy to forget that this invader takes a break for several months every winter! In fact, Phragmites has an annual biological cycle consisting of three separate phases: growing, translocating,...