Site Restoration
When an ecosystem cannot or has not been preserved, it can result in a depletion of natural resources, an upset in species populations and deleterious changes neighboring ecosystems. That’s why Alliance specializes in site restoration, which is the process of restoring ecosystems to their historical state. Whether a large land track was purposely cleared for development or was simply the byproduct of human activity, we can offset the effect through recreation, restoration or enhancement.
Achieving Your Restoration Goals
Before we begin any restoration project, we make it our number one priority to understand the exact goals for the restoration. Is it to reinvigorate an unhealthy ecosystem? To enhance a specific function? To mitigate the effects of changing a similar ecosystem in another location? Your goals will drive every part of our process and provide the benchmarks needed for positive goal setting.
The Restoration Process
The restoration process is a complex endeavor, involving engineers and scientists across multiple disciplines. At its core, however, it involves three basic steps.
First, we work with ecologists and engineers to determine the desired land contours and sculpt the area to the necessary specifications. In some cases this may mean leveling the land by taking soil away and grading the area into a flat surface; in others it may mean bringing soil in to build up the contours into high and low ground. We also manage the soil’s chemical and physical qualities to restore it to a state that can support the plant and microbe life necessary for the ecosystem to take root and thrive.
Next, we plant the area with the desired flora, which may include imported plant life that has long been absent from the area as well as local plant life that we encourage to grow over a larger area. New plant life always conforms to careful research about the area’s original composition and takes into account the desired functionality of the ecosystem in the future (e.g. breeding ground for birds, future source of lumber, etc.)
Finally, we may coordinate with ecologists to bring in the necessary animal life (fish, etc.) or encourage animals to naturally migrate to the location and take up residence (by providing optimized breeding grounds, etc.)
Restoration, Enhancement, and Re-establishment
Alliance has the ability to perform several types of restorative functions, including:
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Restoration: changing the physical or chemical features of the land to breath new life into a damaged or dying ecosystem
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Enhancement: manipulating the features of an ecosystem to optimize it for a particular goal
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Re-establishment: creating a new ecosystem where it does not currently exist.
All of these activities attempt to preserve an ecosystem, but in different ways, using different methods, and for different purposes. Regardless of what your restoration goals are, however, Alliance’s comprehensive ability to reintroduce or revitalize an ecosystem make us the first choice of many for all types of site restoration.
Call Alliance Today
Dealing with a damaged ecosystem can be difficult; But you can be confident that Alliance has the knowledge, skill, and experience to restore what has been lost and lay the foundation for a thriving wetland, forest, lake, or other important system. Give us a call today for more information at (715) 392-2433.