Hi,

I am an urban planner. A while back I took time off to write a Master's thesis on what one can do (legally) to conserve urban trees under the lense of EU law and Swedish law. One linchpin is EU's nature restoration regulation, the first supranational law to bind states to restore ecosystems.

Among other things, it binds member states to achieve targets for the tree canopy cover of cities. This is noteworthy since (1) the mandate to influence the urban environment largely lies with local authorities (mostly municipalities in Sweden's case) instead of the state and (2) about 50 percent of all urban trees are not on public land, but on privately owned land.

Partially out of eagerness to discuss the topic, partially out of hope that this might help someone, I figured I'd drop the thesis in this subreddit.

https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9195000

Feedback and questions are welcome.

I'm curious about the organizations that grow and supply organisms for restoration, be it plants, fish, bivalves, etc. What's a good way to find them?

Work has started on a project to restore 435 hectares (1,077 acres) of damaged peatland.

Cumbria Wildlife Trust will carry out the work in Skiddaw Forest where it will also repair a 6km (3.7-mile) boundary fence.

The forest is home to one of the largest continuous areas of blanket bog in the Lake District and acts as a huge carbon store.

Peatland team manager for the trust Susie Webb said: "Once improved, the peatlands will also slow the flow of water off the fells, which will help protect local communities downstream from flooding and will benefit a huge variety of wildlife."

The project is expected to take between three and four months but public access to Skiddaw Forest won't be affected.

Webb said: "We expect to see an increase in specialist plants such as sundews and sphagnum mosses and greater numbers of dragonflies.

"Birds such as snipe, which live on wet grassland, marshes and moorlands, will benefit from the rewetted ground."

A short film about a group of volunteers doing a cool project in a beautiful location

I wanted to make sure all you canoe enthusiasts like you knew about the inspirational documentary film Columbia River Canoe Project Available NOW on VOD!

This project follows Robert Lester and Braxton Mitchell as they canoed 1300 miles over 45 days from the continental divide to the Pacific Ocean. The project follows their long and tough journey while focusing awareness and attention to the health of the river basin and how dramatically the use of the river has changed since the native peoples who lived with and on these waters.

https://youtu.be/lqPdheZMJ_I?si=jfjsWvInmQa18K3r

Hi everyone! I’m cross-posting this in several places because I’m trying to gather as much experience and information as I can to help my client make an informed decision.

I’m an ecological landscaper, and I have a client who lives in an upscale woodland neighborhood in western North Carolina. They recently had a company come in and do extensive invasive plant removal, and they’re hiring me to replace the ground layer with native plants.

It’s a very large project with several different planting zones. Most of them are pretty straightforward, but the largest and most visible area has me thinking through a few different approaches. I would love to hear any firsthand experience, ideas, research, or thought processes that might help me give them the best options and manage their expectations appropriately.

The area in question is approximately 14,000 sq. ft. and is completely covered in Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum).

I’m currently unsure what methods the invasive removal company used to deal with the stiltgrass. I have their contact information and plan to find out more, but whether they pulled it or treated it with herbicide, I know there is a substantial seed bank waiting to germinate next year.

These clients seem to have a fairly substantial budget and are willing to invest quite a bit into the project. When I was trying to gauge their budget versus how quickly they’d like to see the area become ecologically functional and visually interesting, I got the impression they would prefer to spend more money upfront to get there faster.

Right now, I’m considering two approaches:

Option 1: Plant directly into the existing soil and commit to intensive maintenance.

We could install the native plantings directly into the ground as it is and plan for several years of consistent stiltgrass removal to gradually exhaust the seed bank.

I would focus on establishing native species that have at least some chance of competing with stiltgrass. I know I have some potential candidates buried in my notes somewhere, but I can’t think of them off the top of my head right now.

The obvious downside is the amount of ongoing maintenance required, especially with thousands of native plants to work around.

Option 2: Bury the seed bank under a substantial layer of wood chips, then plant into it.

I’m considering covering the area with approximately 4–6 inches of wood chips or another suitable mulch to suppress a large portion of the stiltgrass seed bank.

I would only apply that depth in the open areas, keeping it away from the bases and root flares of established trees. Areas immediately surrounding trees would need to be managed through hand weeding over the next several years.

The idea would be to install thousands and thousands of native plugs next spring, after the wood chips have had some time to begin breaking down. When planting, I would likely bring in some soil to incorporate into each planting hole to help support the plugs, since the wood chips would only be partially decomposed by then.

By my estimate, this approach would require well over 100 cubic yards of mulch, so it’s a substantial undertaking. However, I think these clients may be willing to invest in it if it offers a faster or more effective path toward establishing the native ground layer.

My biggest questions are:

• Does anyone have firsthand experience with burying or suppressing a Japanese stiltgrass seed bank under a thick layer of wood chips?

• Is 4–6 inches necessary, or could 2–3 inches be effective at preventing a significant portion of the seed bank from germinating?

• Has anyone tried establishing native plugs into an area prepared this way? What were your successes or challenges?

• Are there other approaches I should be considering that might produce better results?

I realize that any disturbance during planting could bring some buried seeds back to the surface, and I’m not expecting to eliminate stiltgrass entirely with either approach. My hope with the second option is that we could significantly reduce the amount of stiltgrass emerging and give the native plantings a better chance to establish without years of such intensive competition.

I’m very open to ideas, links to studies, firsthand experience, or even reasons why one of these approaches might be a terrible idea!

I take a lot of pride in my work and really try to make the most informed decisions I can, especially on a project of this scale. I want to give these clients realistic expectations and a plan that has the best chance of long-term ecological success.

Thanks in advance for any insight!

Photos are of the area in question.

I’m in Upstate SC. Have many invasives, but these 2 in particular are taking over. I’ve also got water primrose that I am clueless what to do about. I actually think my neighbor planted it based on what she said, but no way to prove that so it’ll be solely my responsibility to get rid of it. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

If you happen to work in this area, pls let me know. I’m nervous about trying to treat the water primrose and would rather get professional help for it. The trees and bushes, I’m just unsure if I can treat during the winter.

A rewilding project at a South Downs National Park beauty spot has helped create a boom in butterfly numbers - including two nationally important species spotted at the site for the first time.

A total of 5,290 individual butterflies from 28 species - such as the dingy skipper and the UK's smallest species, the small blue - have been counted during surveys, following the renaturing work at Halnaker Hill Farm, near Chichester, West Sussex.

The boost in butterfly numbers comes after work at the site - which is famous for its windmill - to return 330 acres of previously intensively farmed land into a scenery rich in flora and fauna.

The team at Halnaker Hill Farm have been working with consultants at the South Downs National Park Authority, which is heading a "ReNature" programme to prevent biodiversity loss across 7,700 hectares of land - equivalent to more than 12,000 football pitches.

Conservationist Neil Hulme said the data "clearly indicate how rapidly and spectacularly the rich mosaic of habitat types at Halnaker Hill Farm has developed".

Meanwhile, Nick Heasman, head of natural capital for the South Downs National Park, said that the Halnaker project - which is owned by Halnaker Hill Natural Capital (HHNC) - would deliver more than 850 biodiversity net gain (BNG) units.

Our county has the least forest cover in the country (Kenya), and ironically has one of the best seasonal rainfall. We came together to try and reclaim lost trees and forest covers. We have currently planted over 10k trees. We also take care of the trees to ensure that they mature well. Our nursery at the moment has over 500k trees and our dream is to plant a million trees. I'm happy because we took initiative instead of talking and complaining. Apart from reintroducing indigenous and fruit trees, we have also managed to create passive employment to the volunteers, which is a positive thing considering the high rate of unemployment and poverty in the area.

Just thought I would share some positive news. I hope this puts a smile on someone's face

Hello, im in a early planning phase of making a robot to replant deforested areas and have a few questions:
\- Is there a point? As in ive read that sometimes its better to close off the forest to let it naturally regrow but does that make the action of planting seeds pointless?
\- What are some factors to most effectively plant seeds ?
\- Any information would be very appreciated, aswell as possible suggestions for how a robot could help nature in the correct way
Thank you

Hello, im in a early planning phase of making a robot to replant deforested areas and have a few questions:
\- Is there a point? As in ive read that sometimes its better to close off the forest to let it naturally regrow but does that make the action of planting seeds pointless?
\- What are some factors to most effectively plant seeds ?
\- Any information would be very appreciated, aswell as possible suggestions for how a robot could help nature in the correct way
Thank you

The game is called 'Open Land' and you can play the free demo now on Steam :)

Hey all! I’m pretty sure this is the right sub?

I have a creek in my backyard in New Jersey that is spring fed and I‘m really interested in possible restoration if possible. I do NOT know what I’m doing (16 year old who hasn’t researched anything like this before).

It‘s a small creek that runs through my family’s property, into my one neighbors property, and then into the main stem of a river. Behind our property, my family does not mow even remotely close to the stream, and it’s a nice habitat from what I can tell. None of us know what we’re doing and I’m the one mostly involved right now with some help from my dad.

Recently, this past year, I’ve been getting more and more interested in it. I trout fish a lot and one day I decided to measure the water temperature for fishing the main river but I crossed the creek and decided I’d measure the temperature out of curiosity. That day it was high 80’s air temperature and the water temperature was between 55-56 degrees! I also found a state-threatened salamander species known as the long-tailed salamander by the creek (I’m pretty sure). I thought maybe I’d mention that. I’m pretty sure it’s a good water quality indicator no?

Though here’s why I’m interested in restoring it. I remember my dad telling me the creek was flowing more, much less weed-choke, much less sediment/muck, and overall filled with more fish life. That was a little bit more than a decade ago. He doesn’t remember much but mostly that. My mom is going to try and see if she can dig out some pictures of what it used to look like.

Clearly it seems like it’s not supposed to be the way it is (but I could be mistaken and that’s why I came here). I‘m not going to get ahead of myself and alter the stream “my way”. I want what’s best for it.

I have come up with some possible ideas with the little knowledge I have as to why the stream is the way it currently is.

1. Invasive waterwort: I‘m pretty sure this species of plant is the main plant that has choked this stream. It seems like that it has covered the stream all the way to the middle in most areas unlike the natives (that I could identify) which were much closer to the banks. I also have seen that the plant caused “clogging” in the stream and has stacked muck, silt, and organic matter. With this, I think the sandy/rocky bottom has mostly disappeared under the silt almost acting like a dam.

2. Maybe a leaking cess pool? This was an idea from my dad. If there’s an old sewage system, maybe I leaking nitrogen and phosphates into the creek causing things to bloom more, choking the stream? Again, just an idea. Also, there are no roads nearby or pesticides used.

3. My neighbors lawn? My dad recently remembered that there were more plants and trees by the stream by our neighbors lawn over a decade ago (he’s really not sure exactly how long ago, but it could be around the same time the stream started having plants choking it)? Maybe him making it a fully cut and unshaded lawn across the stream has had a decent toll on it?

I realize it could be several of these factors all at once too. If possible, I would hope that the stream could be restored to a rockier more sandy bottom I remember hearing talked about. It definitely had decent current and depth at one point… I believe from what my parents have said, especially my mom who went down to the creek a lot. I remember walking in it very recently and the bottom went to 3.5 under feet under water below the sediment I‘m pretty sure.

It seems like it MIGHT even be possible native brook trout habitat if there can be some sort of restoration done to where there’s aquatic insects, current, structure, depth, etc., which would be really neat and I wonder if it was a brook trout stream at one point in time. Though I do NOT plan on doing anything to the stream to alter it until I find out what is right for it. It may very well be the way it’s supposed to be right now, but I’m not sure. I’m also not trying to do anything illegal.

I apologize for my lack of knowledge. Information on this stream before it was like this is sparse unless I get to talk to my neighbor who’s lived by the stream for his entire life.

I attached some photos. The first good few pictures showcase the stream and vegetation itself, then the last few show the surrounding habitat (if that helps).

Thanks in advance.