Research and Planning

Hire a qualified consultant—Try to find a landscape architect/designer who specializes in natural landscaping and ecosystem restoration. Test soils for contaminants—Particularly with brownfields and land previously used for agriculture, determine baseline soil conditions. If there is a reasonable likelihood of contamination, test for pollutants and toxins. Inventory existing ecosystems—Carry out vegetation surveys to establish existing vegetation types and significant individual trees. Research ecosystems that may have existed on the site prior to European settlement—It may be difficult to establish what the “natural” ecosystems for a site should be, and the findings are not always as expected. For example, evidence shows that there were many prairie areas along the Atlantic seaboard; these were maintained by fire (both natural fires and fires set by Native Americans). Inventory current landscape management practices—For existing developed sites, particularly commercial properties, collect data on current landscape management—including costs. This information may be useful in demonstrating costs and savings of changes in management. Develop ecosystem restoration plan—With relevant consultants, develop a detailed plan for ecosystem restoration and wildlife habitat improvement, including costs and savings.

Ecosystem restoration

Reduce turf area

The Patagonia distribution facility in Reno, Nevada includes extensive areas of restored vegetation (see EBN Vol. 5, No. 5).

Photo: Miller|Hull Partnership
—Replace turf areas with natural ecosystems wherever feasible. Eliminate invasive plants—Special measures are often required to eliminate invasive plants from a site. These may include hand-weeding, fire management, biological controls, or even careful use of herbicides in some cases. Establish native ecosystems—Establish native ecosystems that are appropriate to the site—tall-grass prairie, short-grass prairie, woodland, wetland areas, desert landscape, etc. Use only native seed or seedlings—ideally based on genetic stock collected in your region. (See page 13.) Ensure diversity in the plantings—Diverse vegetation is important for wildlife and for reduced dependence on pesticides and other artificial controls. Provide wildlife corridors—Connections between natural areas are critically important for enabling wildlife to move over a larger area. Providing workable wildlife corridors often necessitates coordination with surrounding landowners. Use bioengineering for erosion control—Stabilize steep slopes with naturalized terracing and bioengineering practices. These may include use of biodegradable mats pre-planted with appropriate native vegetation. Bioengineering solutions tend to work better and better over time, while conventional civil engineering solutions deteriorate.

Enhancements for wildlife

Select native plant species that attract wildlife —Numerous books are available with appropriate plantings listed by region. A few are listed in the resources on page 15. Encourage birds to “plant” seeds of species they like—String a wire across a section of ground to be planted with native vegetation, then watch the birds help with the planting! Birds perch on the wire and deposit seeds in their droppings. Be aware that nonnative plants may also be established in this way. Provide edible landscaping—In addition to planting vegetation for wildlife, include plantings that humans like to eat as well (permaculture). Provide “edge areas”—Transition zones between different types of vegetation are often the most productive for wildlife. Provide a band of shrubs between a meadow and a woodland, for example. Provide plants of different heights to maintain diversity of habitat. Establish a bird feeding program if desired—Bird feeding can be an important supplement to native food sources. It is important that such a program be maintained consistently, however. Otherwise, birds that become dependent on such food could be left without a food supply at a critical time. Provide bird nesting boxes and platforms—With old-growth forests gone in most areas, there may be a shortage of standing dead trees that cavity-nesting birds, such as bluebirds and swallows, can use. Putting up nesting boxes can help increase local populations of many different species of cavity-nesting birds. Platforms may be used by raptors. Provide bat houses—Bats can help control mosquitoes and other night-flying insects; their presence can be encouraged with properly designed and placed roosting boxes. Provide water features—A dependable supply of fresh water is critically important for wildlife. Provide birdbaths, artificial ponds, or other water features to support birds and other wildlife. Avoid chemical use in the landscape—Avoid all pesticides and most synthetic fertilizers in landscape management. Pesticides can injure or kill wildlife, either through direct contact or indirectly by poisoning insects and other organisms on which the wildlife feeds. Artificial fertilizers can harm surface waters.

Helping people appreciate natural areas and wildlife

Provide wildlife viewing areas —Provide large glass areas that face attractive outdoor areas even if the orientation is not optimized relative to heat gain/heat loss. You can compensate for poor orientation using optimally “tuned” glazings. Provide easy and inviting access to the outdoors—By making it easy for building occupants to enjoy the outdoors, those individuals may come to appreciate nature more—and want to protect natural areas. Provide for easy management of birdfeeders and nesting boxes—Some features for wildlife have to be maintained regularly. Try to plan birdfeeders, nesting boxes, and other features to keep such maintenance as easy as possible. Provide clear signage in public spaces—If building occupants and visitors know what they are looking at, they may appreciate it more. Provide understandable identification labels on trees, explanatory signs, self-guiding brochures, and so forth to help people appreciate what they are seeing and to instruct on proper management of feeders, birdbaths, etc. Provide features that will get people outside—Build trails, linked exercise stations, picnic areas, and outdoor meeting spaces to encourage use of outdoor spaces.

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