The Boston Parks and Recreation Department reports that Phragmites australis within the Restoration Project’s Phase 2 work areas will be treated twice over the summer and removed in the fall during the recommended time period. The BPRD is also developing plans to remove the invasive reed as it appears in the Phase 1 area. According to Contract Manager Thomas Timmons, “We plan to continue to do so annually as we become responsible for more and eventually all of the project work areas.”
Update: “Stubborn Phragmites” is the subject of a feature in the August issue of The Fenway News. Reporter Leslie Pond points to “recent sightings of phragmites regrowth along the Muddy River [that] have some Fenway residents feeling anxious about the return of the invasive reed after most large stands—many of which had reached an estimated 15 feet high and extended in wide swaths for decades—were removed as part of the Muddy River Restoration Project. The fast-growing species in the Muddv River can narrow channels, reduce water flow and crowd out native plants and wildlife habitats.”
According to MMOC Administrator Matt Eddy, total eradication of phragmites is “extremely difficult and prohibitively expensive,” so long-term management is the goal. This will include “mowing, chemical treatment and seeding of the areas with natural species to compete with the phragmites.”
Read the full The Fenway News article.
