Imperiled Ecosystems in a Shifting Climate
2016 Atlantic White Cedar Symposium
May 24-26, 2016

Hotel 1620, 180 Water St., Plymouth, MA

How are the kids?  Monitoring Atlantic White Cedar plantings at the Eel River Headwaters Restoration Project (Plymouth, MA)

Authors:  Alex Hackman (Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration), Keri-Nicole Dillman, PhD (Independent Evaluation and Learning Consultant), Kim Tower and David Gould (Town of Plymouth), Franz Ingelfinger (Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks), Jeremy Bell (The Nature Conservancy), Nick Nelson (Inter-Fluve, Inc.), Eric Derleth (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Beth Schreier (USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service) and Alison Bowden (The Nature Conservancy).

The Eel River Headwaters Restoration Project was a first-of-its-kind effort in Massachusetts to address legacy agricultural impairments to wetland ecology within former commercial cranberry bogs. Completed in 2010, the project involved stream channel and floodplain re-construction, sand removal, culvert replacements, dam removals, microtopography creation, and more.  The work also included the installation of approximately 17,000 young (2-3 year old) Atlantic White Cedar trees (Chamaecyparis thyoides) to encourage the development of rare forested swampland habitat.  A monitoring program was developed to assess tree survival and growth, and identify factors contributing to observed trends. The program was implemented in years 1, 2, and 5 following project completion.  Expanding upon previous symposium presentations in 2009 and 2012, this talk will describe the monitoring approach, use of volunteers, amount and kinds of data generated, preliminary findings, and plans for future analyses.  Developing and implementing a learning agenda as part of this restoration project will help inform other on-going and future peatland restoration efforts in Southeastern Massachusetts and elsewhere.