Coastal & Phragmites Management · Coastal service
Coastal-plain selective clearing
Forestry mulching and lot clearing on coastal-plain pine and mixed hardwood, with lanes and corridors on sandy soils.
Coastal-plain clearing mulches brush, saplings and small trees in place on pine and mixed hardwood ground, and opens farm lanes, estate drives, trail access and utility corridors on sandy soils. It is the same mulch-first approach the valley divisions use, set to coastal ground.
Sandy soils and pine
Sandy coastal-plain soils move when they are stripped. Mulching leaves roots in the ground and a chip layer on top, which holds the surface. Merchantable pine is decked beside the finished lane for the owner.
- Understory mulched in place
- Lanes and corridors graded on sandy soil
- Merchantable timber decked for the owner
- Wet and regulated edges flagged on the walk
Scheduled in blocks
Sussex County work is scheduled in consecutive blocks rather than single days, which is better for the property and better for the investment.
Storm cleanup
Storm cleanup and estate recovery runs here as well, with storm and emergency cleanup, on call 24/7, after coastal storms.
Asked about coastal-plain selective clearing
Do you clear building lots in Sussex County?
Yes, mulch-first with selective tree retention. Wet and regulated ground is identified on the walk, and we confirm requirements with the county and DNREC before work.
What happens to the pine?
Merchantable logs are decked for the owner. Tops and brush are mulched in place.
Five steps, in this order.
- Phragmites assessment and mapped standThe stand or the work area is walked and mapped, with access, tidal edges and low-bearing ground noted.
- Permit path confirmed with DNRECThe regulatory status of the site is confirmed with DNREC in writing before work begins, at no cost to the owner.
- Year 1 treat then clearLicensed treatment in late summer under separate paper, then a winter clear and mulch of the standing dead material.
- Years 2 to 3 spot-treat and maintenance clearRegrowth is spot-treated and the stand gets a light maintenance clear, on firm or frozen ground.
- Annual maintenance, drone-verifiedA yearly visit holds the result, and each year is photographed from the air for the owner’s record.
Keep reading
- Sussex County coverage
- Forestry mulching on estates
- Ditch and ROW ground and brush clearing
- Coastal & Phragmites Management division home
- Coastal & Phragmites Management terms and definitions
Rules that shape coastal-plain clearing: AR-1 Agricultural Residential zoning in Sussex County (SussexCounty.ai)
Phragmites, permits, cost-share and timing
Regulatory notes are general guidance; Huntly confirms the rules that apply to each site before work.
What shapes the cost of a Phragmites program in Sussex County, DE?
The size and density of the stand, access to the marsh edge, the frontage involved, the number of years in the program and whether licensed herbicide application is part of it. Licensed applications and permits are quoted as separate visible lines, and every program is priced in writing after an assessment of the stand.
Does Delaware help pay for Phragmites control?
DNREC’s cost-share program covers 87.5% of aerial herbicide treatment for qualifying Phragmites stands (landowner pays 12.5%), applied by helicopter in late summer and early fall over a three-year commitment. Enrollment requires 5 to 200 acres. Applications are first-come, first-served with a mid-summer deadline. If you qualify, we will tell you and help you enroll.
Does ground and brush clearing alone get rid of Phragmites?
No. Ground and brush clearing alone does not control Phragmites; programs pair cutting with treatment. Its rhizomes can spread more than 30 feet sideways and about 3 feet deep (DNREC).
Do I need a permit to cut Phragmites in Delaware?
Activities in Delaware wetlands generally require a DNREC permit (7 Del. C. § 6604), with some exemptions. We confirm with DNREC Wetlands and Waterways before cutting or spraying in tidal wetlands.
When is marsh work scheduled?
Mechanical ground and brush clearing is scheduled on firm or frozen ground in winter. Herbicide is applied by a Delaware-licensed aquatic applicator in the late-summer window DNREC uses, and the state cost-share program sprays by helicopter in late summer and early fall. Track carriers working on low-ground-pressure tracks reach marsh edges that trucks and tractors cannot.
More from the Coastal & Phragmites Management division
- Phragmites management programs
- Marsh-edge ground and brush clearing
- Ditch and right-of-way ground and brush clearing
- Permits and DNREC on coastal ground
- Community associations and waterfront frontage
- Sussex County, Delaware
- New Castle County, Delaware
- Land work in Chester County & SE Pennsylvania
- Land work in Northern Delaware
- Land work in Sussex County, Delaware
- All counties and towns we serve
Let’s walk the shoreline.
hello@huntlyland.comSend the town, rough acreage and two or three photographs. We reply by email with site-walk times, and a written scope follows the walk.
Delaware & coastal line: (302) 497-5263 · Main line: (484) 486-7272
Office hours Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. On call 24/7 for storm and emergency cleanup. If anyone is in danger, call 911 first.