Sustainable Habitat Restoration

Habitat restoration efforts should be site specific and sustainable to conserve financial resources. A realistic 3-4 year plan should include monitoring and invasive plant management. Inland sites have better predictability than coastal sites. Inland restoration should begin by controlling storm water sheet flow, creating a zero discharge perimeter with biologs and silt fencing. The next step is using indigenous materials (usually free) to reconnect multi level soil profiles with adjacent habitat. Benched mini-terraces should be stepped into slopes. We recommend discouraging uniformity, allowing randomness to create microhabitats, which will contribute to biodiversity. We also recommend a full spectrum of techniques for  re-establishing Native vegetation systems. Restored natural vegetation will increasingly reduce erosion. The root/stem/leaf system will also remove excess nitrogen and restore natural percolation of storm water to the ground water table. Sustainable restoration systems should be designed with linkage to existing habitat and through plant succession, to the fourth dimension of time.

Coastal habitat restoration is similar to baking bread. We need to understand the elements and the interrelationship of those elements, put them in place, add energy and get out of the way. Except in this instance, our “oven” is the North Atlantic Coast of Cape Cod. Our systems actually create new, erosion protecting landforms using the energy from storms. Stabilization to control wind erosion is the first priority. Engineering specific zones and systems to decelerate wind and collect sand should be the second priority. We use patterns of 24″ sand fence. We recommend planting beach grass behind fencing because that is where new landforms will be created. Uncertainty in storm conditions creates unpredictability in sand supply and wind direction. Our case studies average collecting a half million pounds of sand per 10,000 sq feet. Sustainable coastal habitat systems should not be designed in isolation, they need to have meaningful linkages to the overall coastal process.