Cleared Phragmites swath beside standing green reed at the edge of a bay marsh

Coastal & Phragmites Management · Coastal service

Marsh-edge ground and brush clearing

Light enough for marsh-edge and frozen high-marsh work that trucks and tractors cannot touch.

Request an assessment Questions answered

1The short answer

Marsh-edge ground and brush clearing cuts standing vegetation along the edge of a marsh and on high-marsh ground with track carriers working on low-ground-pressure tracks. The work is done on firm or frozen ground, above grade: the marsh soil and the rhizome mat are never disturbed.

Dense stand of invasive Phragmites covering a coastal marsh before removal — A dense stand before removal

2Coastal & Phragmites Management

Why the equipment matters

Wheeled equipment ruts soft ground and cannot reach the edge. Low-ground-pressure tracks spread the load so marsh-edge and frozen high-marsh ground can be worked. The gallery shows Phragmites ground and brush clearing with a tracked machine.

Track carriers
Firm or frozen ground, winter scheduling
Above-grade cut only, soil and rhizome mat untouched
Mapped boundary agreed before work

From the air

The Delaware Bay shoreline: marsh, creek and reed.

3Coastal & Phragmites Management

As part of a program

On Phragmites, marsh-edge ground and brush clearing is the winter step after licensed treatment, and the maintenance step in later years. Ground and brush clearing alone does not control Phragmites; programs pair cutting with treatment. On its own a clear opens a view and removes dead biomass for the season.

4Coastal & Phragmites Management

Regulatory status

Activities in Delaware wetlands generally require a DNREC permit (7 Del. C. § 6604), with some exemptions. Huntly confirms with DNREC Wetlands and Waterways before cutting or spraying in tidal wetlands.

5Questions

Asked about marsh-edge ground and brush clearing

Will the equipment damage the marsh?

The work is scheduled on firm or frozen ground with low-ground-pressure tracks, and the cut is above grade. The marsh soil and rhizome mat are never disturbed.

When is marsh-edge work done?

Usually winter, on firm or frozen ground.

6How a job runs

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

Check tides and flood sources first: Sussex County weather, tide and flood-map sources (SussexCounty.ai)

Before you write

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.

Keep exploring

More from the Coastal & Phragmites Management division

Schedule a site walk

Let’s walk the shoreline.

hello@huntlyland.com

Send 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

Plan a site walk Storm or emergency

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.