Wild rice (Zizania palustris L.) re-establishment through mechanical removal of invasive cattails (Typha angustifolia L.)

Abstract

Re-establishment of wild rice following the removal of the invasive cattail, Typha angustifolia, was examined in a traditional and culturally important stand of wild rice belonging to the Seine River First Nation on Rainy Lake, Ontario. The site selected for study had no wild rice production for over twenty-five years. The objectives of the study were i) to evaluate the effectiveness of mechanical removal of cattails as a method for restoring wild rice habitat; ii) to examine the impact of invasive cattails on long-term nutrient dynamics in the wild rice stand: and iii) to determine if the presence of cattails impacted the germination of wild rice. It was hypothesized that the removal of the cattails would permit wild rice re-establishment. An underwater sickle bar attached to an airboat was used to cut and remove cattails in a treatment area in Rat River Bay in the fall of 2014. This field experiment showed no cattail regrowth in the spring of 2015. A second result was the germination of wild rice in the cut area from the seed bank which grew to maturity by the fall of 2015.