CWD Ecosystem Restoration 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which invasive plant species is a major obstacle to coastal marsh restoration along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the US?
- Spartina alterniflora (smooth cordgrass)
- Phragmites australis (common reed) (Correct answer)
- Schoenoplectus acutus (hardstem bulrush)
- Typha latifolia (broadleaf cattail)
Correct answer: Phragmites australis (common reed)
Invasive Phragmites australis forms dense monocultures that displace native marsh vegetation and reduce habitat value in Atlantic and Gulf Coast marshes.
Question 2: What is 'muted tidal restoration' as applied to salt marsh recovery?
- Restoring full tidal exchange by removing all tide gates
- Providing partial tidal exchange through restricted culverts to reduce flood risk while improving salinity and vegetation (Correct answer)
- Eliminating all tidal influence to create freshwater marsh
- Installing a berm to prevent any tidal water from entering
Correct answer: Providing partial tidal exchange through restricted culverts to reduce flood risk while improving salinity and vegetation
Muted tidal restoration uses restricted culverts or tide gates to allow limited tidal exchange, balancing ecological benefits with flood risk concerns for adjacent landowners.
Question 3: Which agency administers the Wetlands Reserve Easement (WRE) program that funds private wetland restoration in the US?
- US Army Corps of Engineers
- US Fish and Wildlife Service
- USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) (Correct answer)
- Environmental Protection Agency
Correct answer: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
The NRCS administers the Wetlands Reserve Easement under the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, providing funding to restore wetlands on private agricultural land.
Question 4: In restored wetlands, what is the ecological role of coarse woody debris (CWD)?
- It increases turbidity and should be removed
- It provides habitat structure for macroinvertebrates, amphibians, and fish (Correct answer)
- It causes methane spikes that harm water quality
- It only benefits terrestrial species, not wetland fauna
Correct answer: It provides habitat structure for macroinvertebrates, amphibians, and fish
Coarse woody debris creates critical microhabitats, substrate for biofilm, and refuge for aquatic organisms, significantly enhancing faunal diversity in restored wetlands.
Question 5: What hydrological phenomenon causes 'perched wetlands' and what challenge does it pose for restoration?
- A shallow impermeable layer that holds water above the regional water table; restoration must maintain the restrictive layer (Correct answer)
- Deep artesian pressure that floods the site year-round; restoration requires pressure relief wells
- Seasonal flooding from adjacent rivers; levees must be constructed
- High evapotranspiration that dries the site; irrigation must be added
Correct answer: A shallow impermeable layer that holds water above the regional water table; restoration must maintain the restrictive layer
Perched wetlands form over shallow restrictive layers such as clay or fragipan; restoration must avoid disturbing this layer or the hydrologic support for the wetland is lost.
Question 6: Which criterion best defines 'no net loss' of wetlands as a US federal policy goal?
- Ensuring restored acreage equals or exceeds acreage lost to permitted impacts (Correct answer)
- Prohibiting all wetland fill under any circumstances
- Requiring 10:1 mitigation ratios for all projects
- Limiting restoration to sites within the same watershed as the impact
Correct answer: Ensuring restored acreage equals or exceeds acreage lost to permitted impacts
No net loss policy requires that wetland acreage and function lost to permitted impacts be compensated by creation, restoration, or enhancement of equivalent or greater acreage and function.
Question 7: What is the primary ecological benefit of reintroducing beaver (Castor canadensis) to degraded stream and riparian systems?
- Beavers reduce sediment by consuming it directly
- Beaver dams raise water tables, slow flow, and create complex wetland habitat (Correct answer)
- Beavers eliminate invasive fish species through competition
- Beavers increase stream velocity, which improves channel incision
Correct answer: Beaver dams raise water tables, slow flow, and create complex wetland habitat
Beaver dams impound water, raise local water tables, and create pond and wetland habitats that benefit numerous species while reducing downstream peak flows.
CWD Ecosystem Restoration 3
Which invasive plant species is a major obstacle to coastal marsh restoration along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the US?