The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Water Resources Division developed the “Phragmites Treatment/Management Prioritization Tool” to help management groups prioritize the treatment and management of invasive Phragmites australis in Michigan. While the invasive, non-native variety of Phragmites has become widespread in much of the Great Lakes region, limited funding and resources dictate that groups trying to manage Phragmites regionally should carefully prioritize management sites to improve the likelihood of accomplishing management goals. Experience has shown that local and regional groups have
been the most successful agents – individuals are often too limited by time, funding, and experience. Therefore, Phragmites control coordinated with local and regional group efforts is encouraged. While there are some aspects of the tool that may be useful for individual land owners, the tool is really focused on management at a larger scale which requires careful consideration of both the resources of an organization as well as site-specific requirements.