WGI was tasked with implementing the City of Delray Beach’s public dune maintenance program as authorized under the Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL) permit AW-30. As described in the City’s Seagrape Trimming Management Plan, regular trimming of the seagrapes along the dune provides for a healthier, more diverse dune community. WGI implemented the management plan through four tasks;

1. An initial mass trimming to lower seagrapes to 36-inch height and 42-inch height in front of commercial uses, as well as removing the most seaward seagrapes on the dune.
2. Removing and/or treating in place Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Category I plants from the dune.
3. Replanting a diverse collection of native plants within areas made bare by the first two tasks.
4. Continuing a semi-annual maintenance trimming event to keep seagrape growth under control.

Project Highlights:

• WGI teamed with the Institute for Regional Conservation (IRC) to assist with the development of a specific plant schedule that would encourage reestablishment of the native dune plant community in this area. The IRC is a non-profit organization headquartered in Delray Beach that works to not only protect but rehabilitate historic ecosystems and, in particular, the coastal dune system of South Florida. WGI leveraged the IRC’s research and knowledge to promote a healthy dune ecosystem for the City.