Native plant recovery following three years of common reed (Phragmites australis) control

Projects that aim to control invasive species often assume that a reduction of the target species will increase native species abundance. However, reports of the responses of native species following exotic species control are relatively rare. We assessed the recovery of the native community in five tidal wetland locations in which we attempted to eradicate the invasive common reed (Phragmites australis). We tested whether three years of treatment were able to eradicate Phragmites and promote recovery of the native plant community. After three years of treatment, Phragmites density declined sharply in all treated stands, though it was not eradicated in any of them. Native plant cover increased significantly in treated areas and community composition, particularly in smaller stands, converged toward that of uninvaded habitat. Thus, even within the relatively short time-scale of the treatments and monitoring, significant progress was made toward achieving the goals of controlling Phragmit...