Author : Samson Paulotti

Salt marshes have a lot of uses and are very important to the ecosystem although it only occupies about 0 1 percent of the whole area of New Hampshire They develop on sediment deposits which are naturally found along the rocky pits, sand bars and barrier beaches in New Hampshire’s coasts They are a valuable natural resource since they are rare

Their ecological integrity includes the following: shore line anchoring which controls and prevents shoreline erosion, storm surge protection in which the marsh protects the surrounding upland from storms, the ability to do restoration and improve the quality of the water passing through the marsh and the suitability of the marsh to be a habitat for wildlife, finfish and shellfish

Salt marshes contribute a lot to the preservation of natural resources Unfortunately, a lot of New Hampshire’s salt marshes have been damaged by man-made activities There are a lot of factors affecting the integrity of salt marshes One is of these happens when there is a change of species composition especially in New Hampshire where the sprouting of common reed, purple loosestrife, or narrow leaf cattail can invade and tend to crowd out the salt marsh vegetation They invade salt marshes, reducing salinity conditions Then there are other factors such as leaking septic or sewer systems that may increase the invasion of tidally restricted salt marshes by invasive plants

Another reason for the destruction of salt marshes in New Hampshire is the effect of filling There were many acres of salt marsh on the New Hampshire seashore that were filled in the past for development Even though filling is no longer allowed in New Hampshire, the effects of the past fillings are still influencing remnant salt marshes

The need do to restoration in New Hampshire especially on salt marshes is a top priority The plan of action to do restoration is to restore all potentially restorable salt marshes in New Hampshire that was impacted by restrictions to tidal flow The Natural Resources Conservation Service did a study and identified 100 potential marsh restrictions, primarily culverts and bridges, and from those 100 sites, 84 were selected for further assessment

The procedure of restoration included surveying the size and shape of those elevated openings of the marsh, surveying of tidal creeks or rivers for restrictions and associated marsh segments and a corrective action of restoration that was done by enlarging the opening point at that the marsh surface that would be covered with at least 10 cm of tidal water 7 days a month

Since this inventory and evaluation of restoration took effect, 350 acres of marsh had been restored resulting in the proper tidal flow in the area Restoration measures also took place with the restoration of tidal flow, restoration of tidal creeks, removal of fill, reduction in excess nutrients and reduction of non-natural concentrations of fresh water

But still there are some areas in New Hampshire that proper restoration for salt marsh cannot be done, especially in areas that are surrounded by residences

Samson Paulotti shares How-To tips and other information for Restoration Industry Resources and The Restoration Resource New Hampshire

Syndication Source: ArticleWild.com

Filed under: Healthy Home

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