Wetland Mitigation Q & A
Native Forest Nursery can help you complete successful wetland mitigation projects.
Wetland mitigation is a necessary step in the wake of development and other activity, and there are many factors that contribute to the success of mitigation projects. Our team at Native Forest Nursery fully understands the significance of mitigation, and we know what goes into each step of the process from selecting the appropriate plant species to growing and harvesting them to transporting them safely and efficiently for successful planting. Through our Q & A, learn a little more about wetland mitigation, and how the team at Native Forest Nursery can help with your efforts.
What does wetlands mitigation mean?
Wetland mitigation is the restoration, creation or enhancement of wetlands purposed to compensate for unavoidable impacts to wetlands in another location. Wetland mitigation banking is often used as a means to compensate for wetland impacts from land development, but it is also used for impacts from agriculture.
What is mitigation banking?
Mitigation banking, of which wetland mitigation is one type, is essentially a system of credits and debits created to ensure that ecological loss, specifically loss to wetlands and streams resulting from various land development efforts, is compensated for through the preservation and restoration of wetlands, natural habitats, and streams in other areas so that there is no net loss to the environment.
Is wetland mitigation required?
The Federal Government protects wetlands directly and indirectly through regulation, by acquisition, or through incentives and disincentives. The Clean Water Act is the primary vehicle for Federal regulation of some of the activities that occur in wetlands, and ultimately the term “no net loss” is the driving force behind policy which aims to prevent and offset the destruction or degradation of wetlands. This bi-partisan policy exists to conserve existing wetlands whenever possible.
How do you mitigate wetlands?
Different wetland types have different functions, therefore the easiest method of mitigation involves replacing lost or damaged wetlands with similar types– for instance replacing pothole wetlands with pothole wetlands. Mitigated wetlands can also incorporate additional functions by adding an upland buffer to increase both habitat and water quality.
What is an upland buffer and what does it do?
An upland buffer is a strip of land along the edge of wetland areas to remain undisturbed with all existing vegetation. Different sized upland buffers are required depending on the type of development project, type of wetland, or location. Generally, a 50-foot upland buffer is required landward of the state jurisdictional wetland line for all tidally-influenced bodies of water up to the point where a Mean High Water Line can be set and a 25-foot upland buffer with an additional 25-foot building setback from the buffer is required from all other contiguous wetland areas.
The upland buffer is intended to protect the wetland or waterbody by filtering sediments and also absorbing nutrients necessary to support the wildlife habitat as well as the wildlife travel corridors of the area.
What has contributed to the loss of wetlands?
Wetlands are sensitive to water and land management, and these natural areas are continually subjected to pressures from human settlement that threaten to result in further loss or degradation. Activities that can adversely impact wetlands include:
Dredging, draining, and/or filling wetland areas for agricultural, industrial or residential land development
Population growth
Urban development
Sand and gravel mining
Mineral extraction efforts
Peat extraction efforts
Timber harvesting
Oil and gas extraction
On-going waste disposal
Storm-water pollution
Water contamination
Nutrient enrichment
And more
What are the dangers that come from loss of wetlands?
Loss of wetlands can have many negative effects including but not limited to loss of habitat and biodiversity, deterioration of water quality, reduction in water supply/water shortage, increase in algae blooms caused by nutrient overload from land adjacent to a wetland, increased sedimentation, upset to natural filtration, loss of flood plain land, mosquito problems, loss of aesthetic value, loss of species and shifts in species dominance, and increased soil erosion.
How does Native Forest Nursery help with wetland and stream mitigation, and what are the benefits associated with working with NFN?
NFN grows high quality plant material that maximizes the success of the revegetation requirements associated with mitigation projects. Without successful revegetation there is no successful mitigation. Our offerings to our customers include:
A wide array of product lines to meet the diverse industry requirements for plant material. From 1G through 7G container stock, to bare root seedlings, to live stakes and plugs
An industry leading selection of species across all of our product lines. More than 150 native species of trees and shrubs in production annually
A large enough scale of production to cover any job from 100 plants to 100,000 plants plus
Strong relationships with other quality growers that allows us to full entire orders with quality stock allowing our customers to deal with one nursery for their entire order
First class shipping and logistics to make sure the plant material arrives when our customers need it, where they need it, and packaged to maximize plant health and minimize damage
Experienced sales staff members who can help guide species and product selections to maximize project success
Experienced growers focused on producing healthy, vigorous plants
Industry leading root systems in all of product lines achieved through root pruning and by using air root pruning containers for growing our container stock
All NFN staff have a genuine interest in restoration and in the success of our customers. The relationships we have formed with our customers over the years motivates us to go the extra mile with what we do.
If you need assistance with your wetland mitigation project, contact our capable and passionate team at Native Forest Nursery today. We would love to help!