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Consultant: prescribed fire and targeted herbicide needed to restore Blaine Wetland Sanctuary nd meet wetland-bank thresholds
Summary
ISG plant ecologist William Stencil told the Natural Resource Conservation Board that monitoring at the Blaine Wetland Sanctuary found a degraded wet meadow (FQI ~15.3 vs. target 18) and recommended spring prescribed fire, followed by a grass-specific herbicide in treated zones and continued monitoring; staff noted credit generation will take years, delaying boardwalk bids.
William Stencil, a plant ecologist with ISG, presented monitoring results for the Blaine Wetland Sanctuary and said the site—ontains 122 native plant species and several high-quality communities but that the wet meadow community is seriously degraded and is blocking the wetland-bank credit timeline.
Stencil said the 171-acre site supports four native plant communities and four state-listed species. He reported an overall total of 122 native species and 14 nonnative species; the wet meadow community currently has an FQI (Floristic Quality Index) of about 15.3, below the interim target of 18 required to earn an initial wetland-credit deposit.
Why it matters: the city intends to leverage wetland-bank credits as a funding source for a planned boardwalk. Stencil told the board the wet meadow must reach an FQI of 18 for two consecutive…
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