Coastal division
Coastal & Phragmites Management services
Four lines of work on low-ground-pressure equipment suited to sandy soils and marsh edges.
The coastal division works waterfront estates, farm ground and association frontage in Delaware. Each line of work below runs on low-ground-pressure track carriers, light enough for marsh-edge and frozen high-marsh ground, and coastal projects are photographed from the air before and after where the site allows.
Services and guides
- 1.
Phragmites management programs
Phragmites australis is an invasive grass that can grow well over 10 feet tall. Its rhizomes can spread more than 30 feet sideways and about 3 feet deep (DNREC), and within two to three growing seasons a stand will block the water view from a first-floor window.
- 2.
Marsh-edge ground and brush clearing
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.
- 3.
Coastal-plain selective clearing
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.
- 4.
Ditch and right-of-way ground and brush clearing
Ditch and right-of-way ground and brush clearing keeps farm ditches, tax ditches and drainage rights-of-way open so water moves and the ditch can be inspected. Huntly requires written right-of-way designation from the organization and a marked limit for every reach before equipment moves.
- 5.
Permits and DNREC on coastal ground
Activities in Delaware wetlands generally require a DNREC permit (7 Del. C.
- 6.
Community associations and waterfront frontage
Community associations along the Inland Bays and the Delaware Bay shore manage frontage, common ground, pond edges and drainage that Phragmites and brush close in. Huntly writes those as bounded scopes with a multi-year program, so a board can approve the work, residents know when it happens and each year’s result is documented.
- 7.
Sussex County, Delaware
Sussex County is the coastal division’s home ground. Four principal lines of work run here: Phragmites programs on the water, forestry mulching and selective clearing on coastal-plain pine, lanes and corridors on sandy soils, and ditch and right-of-way ground and brush clearing for farms and tax-ditch organizations.
- 8.
New Castle County, Delaware
Most Phragmites volume is in Sussex, but the marsh along the Delaware River side of New Castle County carries the same invasive reed, and the same treat-then-clear program applies with the same equipment. Northern New Castle County sits inside the core of the Huntly service region, minutes over the line from Chadds Ford.
What carries the work
Compact track loader
Low-ground-pressure track carriers work slopes, paddocks, soft fields and stream-side ground without the rutting wheeled equipment leaves.
Drum mulcher
Dedicated drum mulcher heads reduce brush, saplings and small trees to a soil-holding mulch layer in place, with no burn piles and no root balls to clean up.
Industrial brush cutter
Industrial brush cutters handle multiflora rose, autumn olive and briar standing, for pasture, paddock and fence-line work.
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.
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
- Coastal-plain selective 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.