<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small">Hi,<br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small">I'd like to thank Hess Muse for forwarding this article to me. </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small">

<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;display:inline"><a href="https://usfwsnortheast.wordpress.com/2018/04/04/a-sweet-solution-to-a-sticky-problem/">https://usfwsnortheast.wordpress.com/2018/04/04/a-sweet-solution-to-a-sticky-problem/</a></span>

<br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default">Looking for improved and non-herbicidal ways to control the widespread invasive Eurasian <i>Phragmites australis </i>in the extensive salt marsh of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge in Maine, researchers looked into using sugar to alter the soil chemistry in a way that would inhibit the<span style="font-size:12.8px"> growth of </span><span style="font-size:12.8px"><i>Phragmites</i></span><span style="font-size:12.8px">. </span><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.8px;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;display:inline"><br></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.8px;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;display:inline">The rationale is that adding sugar (glucose) to the soil increases the growth of anaerobic bacteria which make hydrogen sulfide which, at high levels, can be toxic to <i>Phragmites</i>. Native salt marsh plants are (supposedly) better adapted to the hyd</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:12.8px;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;display:inline"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">rogen sulfide. They conducted greenhouse and field trials that showed promising results. </font></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:12.8px;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;display:inline"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br></font></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:12.8px;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;display:inline"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">While this is in the very early stages of investigation, it's encouraging to see research into new and novel ways of controlling invasive plants. Tests should also be conducted to determine the impact of this method on our native American <i>Phragmites </i>to see if it responds differently to the increased hydrogen sulfide than the Eurasian species.</font></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:12.8px;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;display:inline"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br></font></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style=""><span style="font-size:12.8px;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;display:inline"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">I'm copying FWS Biologist Dr. Susan Adamowicz and University of New Hampshire Dr. David Burdick, Interim Director at the Jackson Estuarine Laboratory, who teamed up to conduct this research, to allow them the opportunity to reply.</font></span><span style="font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;display:inline"></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.8px;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;display:inline"><br></span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small">Thank you,<br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small">Jil</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small">.......................</div><div><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div>Jil Swearingen</div><div>Invasive Species Consultant</div><div><i>In the Weeds</i></div><div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small">​Cheverly MD​</div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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