DCNR botanist: Protecting habitat for rare wetland plants critical as certain populations struggle

DCNR Botanist Chris Firestone is shown clipping cattails.

Riverkeeper note: The following story was written by Northern Tier Regional Director Emily Shosh. She can be contacted via email by clicking here.

“I’ve always loved plants and what roles they bear in the ecosystem, and what they represent,” said DCNR Bureau of Forestry Botanist -- a role she has held for nearly three decades.

Firestone first began her career as a wetland delineator, in which she located and measured wetlands for the purpose of complying with the Clean Water Act and other local, state and federal regulations.

“Over the years we’ve learned the number of acres of wetlands has decreased, so protecting the habitat for wetland plants is important, such as vernal pools containing the Northeastern Bulrush,” she said.

In Pennsylvania alone, about 50 percent of all rare, threatened or endangered plants are wetland species according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Northeastern Bulrush (Scirpus ancistrochaetus) is one wetland species Firestone has provided insight on over the years, most recently making the news that its recovery has been so profound that it is currently proposed to be removed from the federal list of endangered and threatened plants. 

The US Fish and Wildlife Service announced in July 2024 that across the Northeast, Pennsylvania in particular has been key in the plant’s recovery, its habitat specifically being vernal pools. Through extensive monitoring overseen by the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program, state legislative wetland protections and a recovery plan outlined by the Fish and Wildlife Service, the sedge has gone from 11 known populations to 148 known populations across eight states. Read more on the recovery here. Read the full July 31, 2024, delisting proposal here.

“I’m also working on conservation of the native Wild Lupine, Lupinus perennis," she said. "We are currently exploring ways to propagate this rare plant to improve populations in Pennsylvania.”

The Wild Lupine has seen about a 90 percent population decline since 1900 due to habitat fragmentation.

Wetland sites in Northern Pennsylvania are of special interest to Firestone, including glacial bogs across the Northern Tier, her home territory.

“Those bogs come with many unique plants that are adapted to grow only in those habitats. We have orchids, carnivorous plants and others such as Creeping Snowberry," she said. "Protecting wetlands is protecting these rare and threatened plants.”

Firestone also provides education on types of wetlands and species indicative of each type.

“The US Army Corps of Engineers has an official listing of plants that bear a code to designate how often it would be found in a wetland," she said. "There are species that are 'Obligate,' meaning that 99 percent of the time you’ll find them only growing in a wetland. I also look at the more common Jewelweed and Sensitive Fern. These also are members of a wetland, but one that is more open.” 

Although these plants are not threatened, their presence still indicates a more sensitive habitat to be protected.

Listen to the full interview with DCNR Botanist Chris Firestone in the most recent episode of the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Podcast:

Northeastern Bulrush is a wetland plant DCNR Botanist Chris Firestone has provided insight on over the years, most recently making the news that its recovery has been so profound that it is currently proposed to be removed from the federal list of endangered and threatened plants. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Round Leafed Sundew, Drosera rotundifolia, is an obligate wetland plant that is carnivorous - attracting insects with it's sugary tentacles on the leaves, and trapping them in it. The small blooms are situated high above the low-growing rosette of leaves. Photo courtesy of Emily Shosh.

Also known as the snake mouth orchid, Rose Pogonia, Pogonia ophioglossoides, is an obligate wetland plant that is considered secure in PA. Picture courtesy of Emily Shosh.

Firestone also assists with invasive plant oversight and education and outreach. 

“Japanese Knotweed is something all too familiar to many Pennsylvanians, and while it is not a wetland plant, it does prefer wetter areas. It is very prolific along our waterways as well,” Firestone said. “Japanese Stiltgrass is one that we see quite often in the forests, and its seed is easily carried by boots, tires and others.”

Firestone helps in an advisory role in invasive control, including recent Mile-A-Minute removal along Pine Creek, invasive shrub control at Colton Point State Park and partnering in May of 2024 with the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association and several others to create the Headwaters Invasive Plant Collaborative. 

“Japanese Stiltgrass is one that we see quite often in the forests, and it’s seed is easily carried by boots, tires and others,” Firestone said.

Another factor encroaching on wetland conservation is recreation. Many enthusiasts seek out rare plants for a picture, not knowing the damage their boot prints can leave.

“There are many beautiful and unique plants that reside in wetlands, and once the word gets out about their location, the plants and their habitats can often be loved to death. Trying to keep these locations secret is something we practice, however education may provide stronger protections," Firestone said. "Laying in wetlands for that special photograph and stepping through them alone causes damage to soil and the very plants these enthusiasts are in search of.” 

Treading lightly is possible, and Firestone specifically recommends areas that provide boardwalks. While the boardwalk is a permanent impact in and of itself, the structures in theory keep damage to wetlands and plants at a minimum long term.

“Black Moshannon specifically has boardwalks and trails through many of their bogs,” she said.

Even in these developed sites where long-term impacts are prevented, Firestone warns that seeds and other hitchhikers on boots and clothing remain a big concern. It is good practice to clean clothing and not travel from infested areas directly to non-infested areas.

According to a national study in 2019, the US Fish and Wildlife Service estimated a 50 percent loss of wetlands over the last decade primarily due to land development and agriculture. This study also lists other indirect stressors to wetlands, including the effects of climate change.

In Pennsylvania, the Fish and Wildlife service estimates there are 404,000 acres of wetlands currently. In a publication by The National Association of Wetland Managers, PA was originally home to over 1 million acres of wetland, pre-colonialism. Therefore, it can be assumed there has been a 60 percent loss over the last three hundred years in these vital ecosystems.

For more, check out this study:  Rare Wetland Plants and Their Habitats in Pennsylvania by Anthony F. Davis, 1993. ​