The New England Wild Flower Society has successfully germinated Scirpus longii from seed. Germination is good when seeds are sown soon after collection (Brumback 1989). More recent studies at NEWFS indicate that seeds can germinate after a cold, moist treatment as well (W. E. Brumback, NEWFS, personal communication).

Scirpus longii is a regional endemic of the northeast Atlantic Coastal Plain with between 50 and 55 extant element occurrences. Determining numbers of plants is difficult in this clonal, rhizomatous species, but with ""tens of thousands"" of ramets each in New Jersey and Massachusetts (abundant over 105 acres at one site in MA), greater than 10,000 ramets in Nova Scotia (including sites where the species is dominant over 37 and 12 acres), and with two dense stands of from 5-10 acres in size in Maine and a dense stand of 7 acres in size in Rhode Island, we estimated that there are at least 100,000 ramets globally. The species has been extirpated from New York and probably also from Connecticut, where its 1 documented historical site may have been destroyed by industrial development. The species is apparently in decline in the southern portion of its range (NJ, NY, CT) and is stable (with our knowledge of its abundance greatly expanding) in the northern portion of its range (MA, ME, and NS).

The extant populations are widely scattered from Nova Scotia to southern New Jersey. Given our present state of knowledge, the species has its greatest abundance in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, in eastern Massachusetts, and in Nova Scotia. The species is declining in New Jersey, primarily as a result of degrading and destruction of its wetland habitat. Although two New England occurrences are known to have been extirpated, and two more no longer support S. longii for unknown reasons, 25 extant, newly-discovered occurrences have been documented since 1987. In Massachusetts alone, targeted searches since 1997 have documented eleven previously unknown occurrences. Network botanists in Massachusetts and Nova Scotia agree that suitable, unsearched appropriate habitat still exists in their jurisdictions and anticipate that additional new occurrences will be discovered. The ability of S. longii to persist for extended periods in a vegetative state has probably contributed to the species being overlooked.

Scirpus longii apparently requires periodic fires or other disturbances, such as flooding or herbivory, to stimulate significant sexual reproduction. The species is therefore vulnerable to extirpation through the loss of open habitat by woody succession where the natural fire regime has been altered or suppressed. However, over half (approximately 31) of the occurrences are currently on protected lands, and so controlled fire managment may be possible at many sites. Unintentional fires are also known to occur at some New England sites.

As articulated by NatureServe (2001) and Rawinski (2001), threats include: Conversion of habitat for development, with accompanying changes in hydrology and water quality of wetlands (due to ditching, impoundments, and diversions) where Scirpus longi

Scirpus longii is known from 9 stations in Nova Scotia (Hill 1994); 10 populations in Maine (Rawinski 2001); 1 site in New Hampshire (Sperduto and McCarthy 1993); 13+ sites in Massachusetts (one said to contain the world's largest population at several thousand stems [Rawinski 2001]); and 30+ sites in New Jersey (NatureServe 2001). The majority of populations are small, with only a few dozen culms. It is likely that the global population numbers on the order of 10,000+ stems.

Curtis Boehlen (Bates College Department of Biology, Lewiston, Maine) is studying the ecology of Scirpus longii along the Saco River in Maine. Nicholas M. Hill, Mount St. Vincent University Department of Biology (Halifax, Nova Scotia) has performed extensive research on Scirpus longii in Canada. The Committee on Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has conducted ongoing research on the Atlantic coastal plain flora of Canada.

Tom Rawinski (Massachusetts Audubon Society (Lincoln, Massachusetts) has drafted a Conservation and Research Plan for the New England Wild Flower Society (NEWFS) addressing Scirpus longii populations in New England. He has also undertaken extensive surveys for the taxon in Massachusetts. Volunteer task forces of the New England Plant Conservation Program (NEWFS, Framingham, Massachusetts) regularly monitor populations of Scirpus longii in New England. The New England Wild Flower Society has successfully germinated Scirpus longii from seed. Germination is good when seeds are sown soon after collection (Brumback 1989). More recent studies at NEWFS indicate that seeds can germinate after a cold, moist treatment as well (W. E. Brumback, NEWFS, personal communication). Plants have been potted well from field-collected cuttings, and potted plants have sometimes flowered. Scirpus longii now grows in the permanent collection at Garden in the Woods. Intensive land protection efforts are underway in Maine (The Nature Conservancy), Nova Scotia (COSEWIC 2000), and Massachusetts (Rawinski 2001).

Needed research and management activities include: Controlled, experimental studies of the effects of fire on recovery of Scirpus longii Quantitative studies of the impacts of invasive species on Scirpus longii Studies of the correlation of Scirpus longii occurrences with particular nutrient levels and other aspects of soil and water chemistry Experimental research to determine ecological factors that trigger flowering Studies to determine whether the species generates a seed bank in the wild

Studies of long-term seed storage techniques are needed.