VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Spartina patens | Saltmeadow Cordgrass 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Saltmarsh meadows, composed primarily of saltmeadow cordgrass, served as
a natural pasture for stock in pioneer days, and are currently grazed to
a limited extent [9].  They also provide important habitat for muskrats,
mink, otters, and alligators.  Under climax conditions, vegetation
becomes too dense for waterfowl but provides homes for a host of song
birds and other wildlife species [1].

Nutria eat the rhizomes in late summer and winter [20].  Blue geese and
snow geese feed on new foliage early in the spring in burned marshes
[18].  Geese will only use smooth cordgrass pastures with new growth,
and some management is required (ie. burning) to maintain attractive
wild goose pastures [24].  The coarse stems provide a highly desirable
lodge-building material for muskrats [15].


PALATABILITY : 
NO-ENTRY


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Immature plants of saltmeadow cordgrass provide moderate amounts of
digestible protein for livestock (6.9 to 7.3 percent), but as plants
mature, protein decreases, and the calcium/phosphorus ratio is high,
reducing phosphorus metabolism [23].


COVER VALUE : 
Saltmeadow cordgrass provides nesting cover for waterfowl and song
birds, as well as protective cover for nutria, muskrats, mink, and
otters [27,30].  Muskrats are able to weather storm tides and high water
as a result of the protective cover offered by saltmeadow cordgrass and
other tall marsh vegetation [27].


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
NO-ENTRY


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Hay harvesting of marshes composed primarily of saltmeadow cordgrass was
formerly an important industry in the New England and Middle Atlantic
coastal marshes [30].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Proper stocking of saltmeadow cordgrass pastures is required to avoid
increasing saltgrass (Distichlis spicata), an undesirable forage species
[1].  Nesting cover may be destroyed when these pastures are cut for hay
[30].

Saltmeadow cordgrass appears to be resistant to increases in carbon
dioxide levels in the atmosphere.  Photosynthesis, nitrogen content, and
water use all remained unchanged in an experimental elevation of the
carbon dioxide level [21].

Cattle trample muskrat lodges and runways, causing muskrats to emmigrate
to other marshes.  For optimum muskrat production, cattle should be
fenced out of the marsh [18].

Related categories for Species: Spartina patens | Saltmeadow Cordgrass