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Coastal Erosion Problem - Native Bamboo Fix?
Posted on 5/5/23 at 10:26 am
Posted on 5/5/23 at 10:26 am
So this morning a NOLA.com article came up that an imported roseau from Europe was a failure to take root in our delta. While the imported cane was resistant to the bugs or parasite killing our native cane it died during spring it the stalk was submerged under 14 inches of river water. They did say the native stuff has done better in the three year study, but they do not know if the bug will kill it as it matures.
I am not a plant expert or even pretend to be, I am much more of a history guy that likes to read. When reading some books on Plaquemines Parish and early Louisiana history something stood out that I thought was odd. When the early french sailed up the Mississippi especially in Plaquemines parish they encountered "thick cane" so I assumed the regular roseau cane, but according to Way Down Yonder, Plaquemines Parish it was a native bamboo. Known as Giant River Cane. The kind that grows in clumps.
So I said all of that to say, why don't we still have native bamboo in the river basin? And could that help with coastal erosion?
(I hunt and fish out of Pt. A la Hache/Pheonix area and have never seen it in the water.) I do see some in front of peoples properties as I drive down the levee road on the east bank of Plaquemies parish. Would that be a option to fight coastal erosion.
I am not a plant expert or even pretend to be, I am much more of a history guy that likes to read. When reading some books on Plaquemines Parish and early Louisiana history something stood out that I thought was odd. When the early french sailed up the Mississippi especially in Plaquemines parish they encountered "thick cane" so I assumed the regular roseau cane, but according to Way Down Yonder, Plaquemines Parish it was a native bamboo. Known as Giant River Cane. The kind that grows in clumps.
So I said all of that to say, why don't we still have native bamboo in the river basin? And could that help with coastal erosion?
(I hunt and fish out of Pt. A la Hache/Pheonix area and have never seen it in the water.) I do see some in front of peoples properties as I drive down the levee road on the east bank of Plaquemies parish. Would that be a option to fight coastal erosion.
5
Posted on 5/5/23 at 11:20 am to SpillwayRoyalty
I'm not an expert on this but there are a few things that make today's issues different than how things were when the french were sailing up the river.
Everything that's different now starts with the biggest change to the river - there were no levees when the french first arrived.
Because of that, it means no seasonal floods, no replenishing of nutrients or silt, etc. That all changes the environment quite a bit and would have an impact on Giant River Cane. Perhaps it needs seasonal fresh water flooding to keep the soil balance right, or something like that.
I'm just coming from someone who gardens pretty heavily and I know with my plants there's a big difference between what, say, spinach needs and what tomatoes need in terms of soil. I would assume the same is true for all of the vegetation in the marsh.
That said, it's worth a shot. Anything that slows this down is worth a shot.
Everything that's different now starts with the biggest change to the river - there were no levees when the french first arrived.
Because of that, it means no seasonal floods, no replenishing of nutrients or silt, etc. That all changes the environment quite a bit and would have an impact on Giant River Cane. Perhaps it needs seasonal fresh water flooding to keep the soil balance right, or something like that.
I'm just coming from someone who gardens pretty heavily and I know with my plants there's a big difference between what, say, spinach needs and what tomatoes need in terms of soil. I would assume the same is true for all of the vegetation in the marsh.
That said, it's worth a shot. Anything that slows this down is worth a shot.
Posted on 5/5/23 at 12:15 pm to catchyalater
Taking down the levees is the only real answer to the problem
Mother Nature needs to do what she does
Mother Nature needs to do what she does
This post was edited on 5/5/23 at 12:16 pm
Posted on 5/5/23 at 1:12 pm to catchyalater
Well said, yeah I was thinking of the difference between a highly saline marsh vs fresh and seasonal floods.
Does anyone know where we still see native bamboo in a wetland in Louisiana?
Does anyone know where we still see native bamboo in a wetland in Louisiana?
Posted on 5/5/23 at 1:59 pm to SpillwayRoyalty
quote:
Does anyone know where we still see native bamboo in a wetland in Louisiana?
It's not nearly as abundant anymore, but giant river cane (Arundinaria gigantea) is the cane that made up the famed "canebreaks" (or "canebrake") of early America.
You can still find it in places, but it thrives in environments prone to fire.
No plant is going to fix the issues in SELA. For one, as mentioned, the levees are a problem. For another, the birdfoot isn't even the active delta of the Mississippi anymore; it's the Atchafalaya delta. The only reason so much water flows through the birdfoot is because of the Three Rivers/Old River structures. If it weren't for those, the Mississippi River as we know it today would be a bayou or much smaller river (think Vermilion) like so many of its other former channels.
Posted on 5/5/23 at 2:02 pm to MorningWood
quote:
Taking down
Every single river control structure on the east side of the continental divide is the only REAL answer. The political and economic implications of doing that are not appealing to anyone, thus we will continue throwing money at mitigation.
Posted on 5/5/23 at 2:07 pm to Cowboyfan89
Yeah absolutely growing a plant will not completely solve the problem, I just wonder why it went away and it was not an option for the most recent study done.
I agree letting the river run free is the only way to ever have Louisiana "come back" but that is not going to happen by peoples free will.
I think like anything there are many factors and possible solutions, but I do think we have the power to do more to slow down the erosion and loss of wetlands in our state.
I agree letting the river run free is the only way to ever have Louisiana "come back" but that is not going to happen by peoples free will.
I think like anything there are many factors and possible solutions, but I do think we have the power to do more to slow down the erosion and loss of wetlands in our state.
Posted on 5/5/23 at 2:16 pm to SpillwayRoyalty
quote:
I think like anything there are many factors and possible solutions, but I do think we have the power to do more to slow down the erosion and loss of wetlands in our state.
Yes and no. SELA is a very young region geologically. The area was still being built up by river sediments. So there, unlike in SWLA, the problem is that the land is no long building, and short of simulating nature by either building up massive land areas, or annually depositing river sediment into the marshes, all you can really do is put bandaids on the land. Freshwater reintroductions/diversions are probably the best thing we've done down there, and the man-made ones still don't work as good as a natural diversion.
SWLA, on the other hand, could be repaired much easier because the issue is saltwater intrusion. It's only "subsiding" or washing away because the saltwater kills intolerant vegetation with nothing to replace it. Then you end up with open water. So you can either go in and plant tolerant species, or introduce freshwater. But because the area is much older geologically, it can hold together much better.
Coastal restoration has slowly become a money game and not as much about saving the coast.
Posted on 5/5/23 at 5:12 pm to SpillwayRoyalty
I don't know shite about Louisiana but.........
I grew up on a medium-sized creek in Georgia (my father still lives there) and it floods, big time, often. The same bluffs and bends and sandbars are there over decades, even going back to old civil war maps of the area (there was a lot of civil war activity there, lots of maps in the library of congress, cool stuff). It also has native river cane all over. I have to conclude the presence of this native river cane has something to do with it. Otherwise, the creek wouldn't look anything like it did 50 years ago, but it still does. I bet if all that rivercane was razed, the creek would look a lot different in as little as 10 years.
I grew up on a medium-sized creek in Georgia (my father still lives there) and it floods, big time, often. The same bluffs and bends and sandbars are there over decades, even going back to old civil war maps of the area (there was a lot of civil war activity there, lots of maps in the library of congress, cool stuff). It also has native river cane all over. I have to conclude the presence of this native river cane has something to do with it. Otherwise, the creek wouldn't look anything like it did 50 years ago, but it still does. I bet if all that rivercane was razed, the creek would look a lot different in as little as 10 years.
Posted on 5/6/23 at 7:05 am to SpillwayRoyalty
I think the big difference now versus 50+ years ago is saltwater intrusion.
Many of the plants you talk about can’t handle saltwater. So you are stuck with what you have down there now. Hell just 40 years ago when I was a kid in Venice we used to catch sac a lait under oak and cypress limbs off pass a loutre. It was a different world down there. I can’t imagine what it was like down there 100+ years ago. Mosquitoes would be hell but god I would love to see it.
There is so much erosion and land lost now there is no way to ever get back to what it was so you need vegetation that can handle salt water. I’m no botanist but my gut tells me that’s a short list.
Many of the plants you talk about can’t handle saltwater. So you are stuck with what you have down there now. Hell just 40 years ago when I was a kid in Venice we used to catch sac a lait under oak and cypress limbs off pass a loutre. It was a different world down there. I can’t imagine what it was like down there 100+ years ago. Mosquitoes would be hell but god I would love to see it.
There is so much erosion and land lost now there is no way to ever get back to what it was so you need vegetation that can handle salt water. I’m no botanist but my gut tells me that’s a short list.
Posted on 5/6/23 at 7:12 am to SpillwayRoyalty
quote:
I am not a plant expert or even pretend to be, I am much more of a history guy that likes to read
I thought you’d find this interesting if you haven’t already read
Posted on 5/7/23 at 7:03 am to SpillwayRoyalty
I’ve wondered about using black mangrove in the southern most areas of the marsh, where brackish/saltwater conditions would support mangrove. Winter temps may be a factor for growth though…
Posted on 5/7/23 at 3:59 pm to DMC226
quote:
I’ve wondered about using black mangrove in the southern most areas of the marsh, where brackish/saltwater conditions would support mangrove. Winter temps may be a factor for growth though…
Black mangrove grows in Louisiana already, and has actually been expanding somewhat due to the milder winters we've been experiencing.
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