Davey Resource Group

Montville Township, Geauga County, Ohio: Pine Brook Properties Wetlands Mitigation Site

The Project
The Pine Brook Wetlands Mitigation Project will preserve and enhance 685 acres of ecologically important land in Northeast Ohio containing wetlands, uplands, streams, and associated riparian areas. This site forms the headwaters for both Hoskins Creek and Phelps Creek, both of which are tributaries to the Grand River. There are extensive areas of high-quality wetlands on the site. The wetlands are forested, scrub/shrub, wet meadow, and marshes occurring in large continuous mosaics interspersed with small upland areas.

Past disturbances (e.g., logging, maintenance of gas well roads, and annual wildlife food plots), while fairly minimal, have allowed Phragmites australis (common reed) to create monocultures in approximately 13 percent of the wetlands. The wetlands, although somewhat degraded, still retain high-quality features. Several listed species, both plants and animals, have been identified within the site and most of the wetlands score in the high Category 3 range using Ohio Environmental Protection Agency's Ohio Rapid Assessment Method (ORAM).
Davey Resource Group is working for Ohio Wetlands Foundation to identify, map, and eradicate Phragmites and small patches of Typha angustifolia (narrow-leaved cattail) from this 685-acre site. The wetlands will be enhanced to re-establish their pre-logging condition.

The Process
Davey Resource Group biologists used a 12-channel Trimble Pathfinder® Pro XRS receiver global positioning system (GPS) to map the invasive plant locations. This information was used to calculate the infestation acreage and show their locations.

Davey is currently working to eradicate approximately 66 acres of Phragmites using a combination of ground and aerial chemical treatment. Rodeo®, a glyphosate and aquatic approved herbicide, is being used to ensure long-term control. Native vegetation will be planted and seeded over these treated areas in the future to help re-establish native plants. Davey will continue to monitor and work towards eradicating the Phragmites for the coming years.