Coastal division
Coastal and Phragmites questions
Straight answers for waterfront owners, associations and farm ground. Every program is scoped after an assessment.
These are the questions waterfront owners, community associations and farm owners ask first about Phragmites and coastal ground.
Coastal and Phragmites questions
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), so a single cut leaves them in place to regrow. That is why Huntly sells a program: licensed treatment, then clear and mulch, then spot-treat and maintain. A view-only maintenance clear is available with the trade-offs explained up front.
Doesn't the state spray Phragmites for free?
Partly. 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. Removing the standing dead reed after treatment is arranged privately, and Huntly can provide the scope description and photographs an application asks for.
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. Huntly confirms with DNREC Wetlands and Waterways before cutting or spraying in tidal wetlands, at no cost to you, and the marsh soil and rhizome mat are never disturbed.
How is Sussex County work documented?
Coastal projects are photographed from the air before and after where the site allows, and the record belongs to the owner. A community is named only when a photograph was actually taken there.
What equipment works on marsh ground?
Track carriers working on low-ground-pressure tracks, light enough for marsh-edge and frozen high-marsh work that trucks and tractors cannot touch.
Can I just open the view this year?
Yes. A view-only maintenance clear is available, priced as recurring maintenance, with the trade-offs explained up front.
Do you do storm cleanup on the coast?
Yes. Storm cleanup and estate recovery runs in Sussex County as well. Storm and emergency cleanup is on call 24/7.
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.
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.