Coastal Dunes
Scenario model
Current ecosystem state
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Management practices/drivers
Select a transition or restoration pathway
- Transition T1A More details
- Transition T1B More details
- Restoration pathway R2A More details
- Transition T2A More details
- Restoration pathway R3A More details
- Transition T3A More details
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No transition or restoration pathway between the selected states has been described
Target ecosystem state
Select a state
Description
This ecological site is characterized by a mix of xeric plant communities coinciding Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Dune and Swale system (CES203.264) (NatureServe 2019).
The predominant reference plant community is largely herbaceous:
• Northern Beachgrass Dune, (American Beachgrass - Beach Pea Grassland, [Ammophila breviligulata - Lathyrus japonicus Grassland] - CEGL006274);
and under stable dune conditions, it may succeed to shrublands, predominantly:
• Northern Bayberry Dune Shrubland (Northern Bayberry - Beach Plum Shrubland, [Morella pensylvanica - Prunus maritima Shrubland] – CEGL006295).
Other associated plant communities include:
• Northern Beach-heather Dune Dwarf-shrubland (Woolly Beach-heather - Bearberry Dwarf-shrubland [Hudsonia tomentosa - Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Dwarf-shrubland] – CEGL006143), and
• North Atlantic Coastal Plain Dune Vine/shrubland (Cat Greenbrier - Eastern Poison-ivy Vine-Shrubland [Smilax glauca - Toxicodendron radicans Vine-Shrubland] – CEGL003886).
On older more stabilized backdunes may support:
• Pitch Pine Dune Woodland (Pitch Pine / Woolly Beach-heather Woodland [Pinus rigida / Hudsonia tomentosa Woodland] – CEGL006117).
• Long Island Maritime Beech Forest (American Beech / Roundleaf Greenbrier Forest [Fagus grandifolia / Smilax rotundifolia Forest – CEGL006043])
[Source: NatureServe 2019, USNVC 2017]
Submodel
Description
Semi-natural dunescapes may be dominated by occasional non-native plants include Japanese Sedge (Carex kobomugi), dusty miller (Aretemisia stelleriana), sea poppy (Glaucium flavum), beach rose (Rosa rugosa), Morrow’s honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii), and Japanese pine (Pinus thunbergii).
Submodel
Mechanism
Cutting, land clearing plant establishment, wind erosion control
Relevant conservation practices
| Practice | External resources |
|---|---|
|
Brush Management |
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Land Clearing |
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Invasive Plant Species Control |
Mechanism
Herbaceous weed treatment, plant removal, plant establishment, successional management
American beachgrass (Ammophila breviligulata) plugs generally planted on a grid (0.5 m on center?)
[Avoid planting the non-native European beachgrass (Ammophila arenaria)]
Relevant conservation practices
| Practice | External resources |
|---|---|
|
Brush Management |
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Critical Area Planting |
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Restoration and Management of Rare and Declining Habitats |
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Upland Wildlife Habitat Management |
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Early Successional Habitat Development/Management |
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Record Keeping |
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Restoration and Management of Natural Ecosystems |
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Invasive Plant Species Control |
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Herbaceous Weed Control |
Mechanism
Cutting, land clearing, plant establishment, wind erosion control
Relevant conservation practices
| Practice | External resources |
|---|---|
|
Land Clearing |
|
|
Invasive Plant Species Control |
Mechanism
Herbaceous weed treatment, plant removal, plant establishment, successional management
Relevant conservation practices
| Practice | External resources |
|---|---|
|
Brush Management |
|
|
Critical Area Planting |
|
|
Restoration and Management of Rare and Declining Habitats |
|
|
Upland Wildlife Habitat Management |
|
|
Early Successional Habitat Development/Management |
|
|
Restoration and Management of Natural Ecosystems |
|
|
Herbaceous Weed Control |
Model keys
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The Ecosystem Dynamics Interpretive Tool is an information system framework developed by the USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and New Mexico State University.