Chris Bridges
The management of forests, grasslands and farms for wildlife habitat provides opportunities to notice and appreciate unique plant species that might not receive much attention in traditional timber production plans. While the economic contributions of these minor species might be limited, the structural and temporal diversity provided by different plant communities is important especially in hardwood forests. River cane is one such species that is both a striking deviation and a biologically-unique component of Southeastern forest and grassland habitats.
RIVER CANE DESCRIPTION AND BIOLOGY
The topic of managing bamboo raises multiple questions in the forestry community. Many questions that I receive from curious landowners are concerning the distinction between our own native bamboo (Arundinaria spp.) and a variety of introduced Asian species. Given that several of the Asian bamboos can be very aggressive in growth and in some cases invasive, it is an important distinction to make with regard to habitat management. Additionally, the common name river cane is used sometimes interchangeably with giant cane. River cane, switch cane, Appalachian cane and Tallapaloosa cane are all native bamboo species within the same genus Arundinaria. Most river cane stands that I have encountered were ten to thirty feet tall with an average stem diameter of less than one inch.
Most broadly, bamboo is simply a woody grass species. The biology and reproduction of our native river cane, and many other bamboo species, is similar to other grass species. Perhaps the most relevant aspect of this is that the reproduction of river cane is driven by the development of new culms or shoots that spread via rhizomes or underground stems. This spreading can result in the development of large monotypic stands called canebrakes. There is a great amount of literature from early explorers of the Southeast that describe extensive canebrakes that persisted prior to European settlement.
It is really interesting to read the writings of Davy Crockett and others in the 1800’s who describe hunting in these great canebrakes. At a time when black bear, woods bison and other large mammals were more common in the Southeast, extensive stands of rivercane seemed to contribute sites for foraging and cover for a wide range of species. The presence of evergreen river cane in deciduous forests likely provided cover in winter and was an excellent source of nutrition for many animals. Early settlers describe using canebrakes to graze livestock. Because canebrakes often occupied well-drained portions of bottomlands, these sites were likely among the first converted to other uses as the Southeast was settled. It has been estimated recently that canebrakes currently occupy approximately two percent of their historical area.
While most reproduction of native bamboo is driven by new shoots emerging from rhizomes, the flowering behavior of river cane is also one of the most interesting aspects of this species. Like many bamboos, river cane stands can go many decades between flowering events. The timing and drivers of this phenomena are not fully understood. Additionally, since large stands expanded by rhizome spreading may be genetically the same individual, the potential for two genetically-distinct stands to be flowering at the same time and to be within a reasonable distance for wind pollination seems like a major challenge for viable rivercane seed production. Given increasing fragmentation of river cane stands and greater distances between intact bottomland habitat, the identification and management of remaining stands of native bamboo are essential to retain this important component of Southeastern habitats.
CANEBRAKE HABITAT MANAGEMENT
The first step in managing river cane habitat is to understand the species, and more importantly recognize that it contributes a lot more to the landscape than a source of fishing poles. I enjoy taking inventory of river cane stands in late winter because the green foliage is a striking contrast in deciduous forests. As noted by several different authors, this is likely one of the reasons that so many different species benefit from native bamboo stands. Rabbits, turkeys and a wide range of nongame bird species use canebrakes for cover or foraging. Additionally, the diverse insect communities supported by river cane likely contribute to bottomland game species populations.
Identification of existing stands and control of competition is important. Many researchers have speculated that river cane was historically a fire-dependent bottomland species. Fires would historically control competition and above-ground growth while allowing for underground survival of rhizomes and rejuvenation of the stand. Given the limited extent of river cane patches and potential difficulty of prescribed burning, alternatives such as mechanical removal or herbicide treatments of competing vegetation are possible. Because river cane retains its leaves, caution is advised regarding contact herbicide use as potential drift could cause major harm to the stand. Simply cutting competing trees and providing canopy openings for the river cane can help to improve the extent and health of the stand.
As previously noted, river cane’s flowering habits have resulted in limited availability of seed for habitat improvement projects. However, researchers at several universities have explored the use of rhizome transplantation for canebrake restoration for over twenty years. Their publications provide a wealth of information on the difficult task of collecting, transplanting and managing cane seedlings. A few native plant nurseries have river cane seedlings available to the public. However, I would use caution as I have seen potential confusion even in the nursery industry between our native Arundinaria spp. and Asian bamboos. The use of a reputable native plant nursery that specializes in habitat restoration should be sufficient to ensure that any seedlings obtained will be the correct species for your particular site.
If you are fortunate enough to have a site where river cane remains, take note of the extent and vegetative competition. Occasionally, simply removing invasive exotic species can be enough to provide the conditions for river cane to thrive. Alteration of mowing strategies, particularly along levees or on sandy bottomland soils, can also provide room for cane growth to expand. The potential use of this species as a screen or blind is also important. Increased recognition of the unique biology of canebrakes and all that they contribute to wildlife cover and foraging will hopefully allow this habitat to persist in Southeastern forests.
Read More: Using Indiangrass in Wildlife Plantings
