Designing and implementing a 120-acre wetland mitigation restoration plan for a regional utility client

At a Glance

  • 10

    Years of Monitoring

  • 120

    Acres

Location
Northwestern Wisconsin
Offices
Client
  • US Army Corps of Engineers
  • Wisconsin DNR
  • Douglas County

Superior Coastal Plain Boreal Forest Restoration

When infrastructure projects impact wetlands, new wetlands must be created to offset this and help maintain watershed capacity. A regional utility client chose our experienced ecological restoration team to design and implement a mitigation restoration plan for 120 acres of forested wetland in Wisconsin’s Superior Coastal Plain.

Following an initial investigation to identify existing wetlands and plant communities, we completed full inventories of upland forests, sedge meadow, and shrub-scrub plant communities. We used this data to create a plan that met client, county, and Department of Natural Resources objectives. It included removing aggressive woody species, planting boreal tree species, and conducting 10 years of monitoring.

The first four years of the project focused on initial restoration and management, measuring success through performance of newly planted species and invasive species cover. Ongoing monitoring involved inventory and protection of state-listed plant species, including one previously thought extirpated in the state. In 2017, the site was one of the first boreal forest mitigation sites released by the St. Paul District of the US Army Corps of Engineers.

At a Glance

  • 10

    Years of Monitoring

  • 120

    Acres

Location
Northwestern Wisconsin
Offices
Client
  • US Army Corps of Engineers
  • Wisconsin DNR
  • Douglas County

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