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The Ecology and Management of
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Eel River is a small, spring-fed stream draining to the Cape Cod Bay in Plymouth, MA. Logging of AWC trees and the construction of small mill dams in the 1600 and 1700s transformed the native swamp and wetland ecosystem of the headwaters. By the late 1800s, more than 40 acres of wetland were converted to cranberry bogs. For cranberry bog management, all vegetation was cleared, ditches were dug to drain the wetlands and manage flows, berms were built across the wetlands in numerous places to control water, and sand was spread on top of the native peat to stimulate cranberry growth. In 2005, the design of the restoration of more than 40 acres of cranberry bogs and removal of all fish passage barriers, including a historic stone dam and impoundment, commenced. While many design components were included in this restoration project, the establishment of an AWC-dominated wetland was one of the most important. Inter-Fluve collaborated with bog and AWC experts at the University of Laval in Quebec, Underwood & Associates, and the Woods Hole Swamp Institute to develop designs and propagation methods for AWC restoration. In 2006, more than 17,000 AWC trees were grown from seed collected within 10 miles of the project site. After four years of growth in greenhouses, installation of the trees at the restoration site took multiple weeks with up to 10 planting crew members in the spring of 2010. The planted trees were approximately 3 ft. in height and today range from 4 to 6 ft. in height. One and two years after they were planted, the AWC trees were surveyed in 2011 and 2012 to monitor success, effects of browse, and growth. While browse and girdling was observed on some plants, the 2011 monitoring revealed greater than 85% survival rate. We conclude that the restoration design and its implementation successfully reestablished AWC with implications for future efforts in similar environments.
Atlantic White Cedar, Restoration, Eel River Headwaters, Restoration Monitoring