State restoration manager says Utah Lake Phragmites cover down about 88% as effort shifts to revegetation

Keith Hambrecht, restoration program manager for State Sovereign Lands at the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, told listeners the agency's multi-year effort to control the invasive reed Phragmites on Utah Lake has sharply reduced infestations and is moving into a restoration phase. "We reached about 88% reduction," Hambrecht said, adding the program's current estimate of Phragmites cover on Utah Lake is roughly 12%, close to the stated program goal of 10% cover.

Hambrecht framed the work in a broader regional context, showing how Phragmites rapidly colonized Farmington Bay on the Great Salt Lake over a few years. He said that example underscores how quickly shoreline wetlands can fill in without sustained control and helps explain why the program emphasizes both removal and subsequent native revegetation.

The agency follows a two‑step treatment protocol, Hambrecht said: a late‑season herbicide spray followed by mechanical removal, repeated until targeted cover levels are reached, then transitioned to long‑term maintenance and restoration. He credited the Wetland Ecology and Restoration Lab (Dr. Kettering) with providing research backing for treatment timing and outcomes.

Research findings discussed during the presentation included a seed‑bank study showing seed germination percentages fall markedly over time: germination approaches 0% near year four and ranged from about 1% to 8% after five years depending on soil moisture, Hambrecht said. Those results suggest the seed bank can decline relatively quickly when sustained treatments are maintained.

Despite the gains, Hambrecht said about 1,500 acres of Phragmites remain. He identified three main obstacles: patches in locations inaccessible to large wetland equipment (under tree canopies or on steep slopes), drier higher‑elevation patches where herbicide is less effective and therefore require additional treatment years, and properties missed because landowner permission for treatment was not granted. To reach these holdout areas the division is deploying hand crews for brush cutting and adding smaller equipment to address patches large machinery cannot access.

Hambrecht also summarized related efforts: on the Jordan River the division is running 12 pilot sites covering about 140 acres that require hand crews and canoe access; on the Great Salt Lake the project area is roughly 180,000 acres and involves multiple partners including the Division of Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He said continued base funding currently supports annual control work, but upstream seed sources motivate additional funding needs and a planned grant request to address upstream control.

To strengthen coordination, Hambrecht described existing joint restoration coordinator roles and announced a forthcoming joint restoration coordinator position with the Utah Lake Authority to help plan, build partnerships and access difficult sites. "Please spread the word. It'll be posted soon," he said.

The presentation concluded with a call for greater cross‑discipline collaboration among teams working on water quality, fish and plant restoration so revegetation efforts can be better integrated and sustained.