Canebrake conservation in the southeastern United States

At the time of European settlement, extensive monotypic stands of cane (Arundinaria gigantea), known as canebrakes, were a dominant landscape feature in the southeastern United States (U.S.). Canebrakes support a diverse assemblage of wildlife and represent critical habitat for several species of arthropods, birds, and mammals. Canebrakes disappeared rapidly following settlement due to a combination of overgrazing, altered burning regimes, agricultural land clearing, and changes in floodplain hydrology. By the early to mid-1900s, canebrakes had disappeared throughout most of the southeastern U.S., and large canebrakes are nearly nonexistent today. Inventory and management of remaining canebrakes deserve high priority. Successful management depends on protection from livestock, a suitable burning regime, and control of competing vegetation. Floodplain disturbance also may be a necessary component of canebrake management. Restoration techniques are currently lacking. Faunal surveys of canebrake habitats are urgently needed to provide baseline data to evaluate future conservation and restoration efforts.