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Transplant Time Requirement
It is difficult to determine the time involved in the
transplanting operations when experimental plantings are being
established. In May 1981 we kept records of the time required for four
persons to dig and transplant sprigs of Halimione and plugs of
Puccinellia . Halimione plants were dug, separated into sprigs and put
into plastic bags for transport to the planting site at the rate of
about 180 per person hour. Puccinellia plants were dug, cut into plugs
and put into a container for transport to the planting site at the rate
of about 75 per person hour. These rates indicate that Halimione
sprigs can be obtained about 2.4 times faster than Puccinellia plugs.
The planting operation includes opening the transplant hole with a
soil auger, inserting the appropriate amount of fertilizer, and
inserting the transplant and firming the substrate around it. Both
types of transplants can be planted at the rate of about 40 per person
hour.
These time requirements for digging and planting make no allowance
for travel, supplies, and equipment, which must also be considered in
the total cost of a planting operation. Based on our digging and
planting time requirements only, the time required to plant 1 ha of
Halimione on a 0.5 m spacing (40,000 transplants) would be about 1,220
person hours (220 person hours to dig sprigs + plant). The time required to plant 1 ha of
1,000 person
Puccinellia on
hours to
a 0.5 m
spacing would be about 1,530 person hours (530 person hours to dig +
1,000 person hours to plant). These cost estimates indicate that it
would take four persons working 8 hour days about 38 days to plant
1 ha
of Halimione on a 0.5 m spacing and about 48 days to do the same using
Puccinellia.
Recovery of Transplant Source Sites
From the beginning of our restoration efforts we were aware of the
potential for impact to the natural marsh in digging transplants for
the plantings. Consequently, we confined our digging of plants in the
natural marsh to areas adjacent to narrow drainageways (Fig. 6) or to
small areas (0.25 m 2 ) in the marsh. All Puccinellia transplant
source sites were replanted and those areas that were dug in 1979 and
1980 were almost completely revegetated by May 1981' (Figs. 48, 49). In
a further attempt to lessen the pressure for obtaining transplants from
the natural marsh, we have initiated nursery areas for Halimione and
Puccinellia . These combined actions will help keep impact to the
natural marsh to a minimum and serve as a model for others who may
engage in similar activities in the future.
Nursery Plantings
The Puccinellia nursery area at Kerlavos was established in May
1979 and now contains about 300 plants that can be dug and separated
into transplants. Although the plants vary in size, the average cover
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