Invasive mangrove removal continues at Fairchild and nearby Matheson Hammock Park

Fri, Apr 27, 2012 at 10:59:59 AM

(Staff from the IRC in the dwarf mangroves, north of Fairch

In 2008, scientists from several institutions including Fairchild first documented the escape of the non-native mangrove Lumnitzera racemosa into the surrounding natural mangrove forests, where plants had spread to cover 20 acres. We took action immediately, drawing on help from volunteers, staff, and two different contractors. Four years later, tens of thousands of trees and their seedlings have been removed. This April, The Institute for Regional Conservation (IRC) removed almost 18,000 seedlings from Fairchild and Matheson Hammock Park. While that number certainly sounds daunting, 99% of those plants were tiny seedlings that were emerging from the seed bank. Fairchild is grateful to its partners in this endeavor (including ECISMA and Miami-Dade County), and we are confident that, with persistence, this invasive plant will be eradicated within a few years.