Large-scale invasive plant management is critical to restore native plant communities and the culturally foundational wetland emergent plant, zizania palustris (manoomin, northern wild rice) in…

Large-scale invasive plant management is critical to restore native plant communities and the culturally foundational wetland emergent plant, zizania palustris (manoomin, northern wild rice) in great lakes coastal wetlands (GLCWS). This projects goal is to evaluate the regional efficacy of harvesting invasive plants, producing biochar from the harvested biomass, and reapplying the biochar to treated wetlands to enhance the restoration of native plant communities including manoomin. To achieve this goal, we will establish a multi-site experiment assessing invasive typha (hybrid cattail and narrow-leaf cattail) harvest and typha-biochar reapplication at four GLCWS across the straits of mackinac and saginaw BAY regions. This projects expected results are two-fold. First, our project activities will enhance eight acres of glcw habitat complexity, restore native plant communities, and establish manoomin populations across these sites resulting in approximately 20 acres of wildlife supporting hemi-marsh for water birds, amphibians, and fish. Secondly, our project will experimentally test the response of native plant communities and manoomin to typha harvest and typha biochar reapplication. Based on results from our previous research, we anticipate that harvesting will reduce typha dominance and biochar addition will increase the ability of native plants and manoomin to establish and outcompete invasive plants. Results will be disseminated widely to governmental, non-governmental, and tribal partners to inform large-scale best management practices for managing invasive typha and enhancing native plant populations in GLCWS. This project will also continue to strengthen our established non-budgetary partnerships that include the sault STE. Marie tribe of chippewa indians (sault tribe), the little traverse conservancy, and ongoing restoration at the united states fish wildlife service (USFWS) shiawassee national wildlife refuge.