January 26, 2018 | PAMF program staff
After enrolling and monitoring 93 management units into the Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework (PAMF) program in 2017, participants went on to manage Phragmites in various ways. PAMF staff reached out to participants by phone to discuss the treatments they completed and gather important feedback on the treatment reports themselves.
We discovered some interesting facts that we think you might like to hear!
- Sixteen ‘glyphosate’ treatments were completed. The products Aquaneat, Aquastar, Rodeo, and Round-up Custom were used, with Aquaneat being used most often.
- Sixteen ‘glyphosate + imazapyr’ treatments were completed. Two mixes were reported: Polaris + Aquaneat, and Habitat + Aquaneat.
- Four ‘imazapyr’ only treatments were reported. The products Habitat, Polaris and Arsenal were reported with Habitat used most often.
- Percent herbicide concentrations by volume demonstrated a wide range of concentrations are being used. While we expect some variation between techniques, the range was still quite wide, spanning from 0.375% to 10%.
- Percent surfactant by volume also demonstrated a wide range of concentrations, with a low of 0.05% to a high of 0.8%.
- The herbicide application techniques were varied. Three units were treated by helicopter, ten with a marsh master with a mounted tank, eight using an ATV or truck, fourteen by backpack, and one unit by hand-swiping.
- The timing of herbicide treatments varied as well. Some herbicides were applied as early as August 10 and others as late as October 13 with most units completed in September.
- Five management units were spaded.
- One management unit was mowed with a tractor.
- Eight management units were not treated as planned due to funding restrictions, logistical challenges with equipment, or weather.
So…who wants to guess which treatment will be most efficient and most effective?
Well, we suggest that you not play the guessing game at all, because now we have PAMF!
This first round of treatment reports confirms that we are all making very different decisions about how to manage Phragmites, and while no one is right or wrong, some of us might be reaching success quicker than others. PAMF is designed to learn and predict the most effective and efficient treatment by combining and analyzing all this reported variation using a standardized monitoring protocol, a predictive model, and a web hub / central database. For the first time, PAMF can help us understand what treatments are most effective and efficient, and provide treatment guidance for each unit enrolled in the program. By joining PAMF, you will learn how to contribute your data to this basin-wide learning effort.
It is important to note that for PAMF to learn well, the system requires accurate and complete treatment reports. This year was a learning year for everyone and we greatly appreciate the feedback that many 2017 participants took the time to provide.
In June, the Core Science Team will be sharing the new and improved treatment reports and all participants will have the opportunity to access the web hub, review and update treatment reports, and share comments and feedback.
If you are interested in joining PAMF, please visit the Join PAMF page, or email us for more information.
Note to 2017 participants: if you have not had a chance to learn about the treatment reports and provide your feedback, please contact PAMF staff.