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13 November/December 2022 | THE DAVEY BULLETIN TEAMING UP FOR A WETLAND AND STREAM RESTORATION Promoting stream restoration, wetland re-establishment and rehabilitation were the chief goals of a massive conservation project partnership between Davey Resource Group's Davey Mitigation team and nonprofit Stream and Wetlands Foundation (S+W). The project is designed to help developers offset construction impacts to wetlands. S+W operates an In-Lieu Fee (ILF) program, meaning they take in funds from companies impacting wetlands and aggregate until they have enough to conduct projects in each watershed to provide the necessary compensatory mitigation. Named the Deer Creek Wetland and Stream In-Lieu Fee Mitigation site project, the 104-acre conservation easement is located in Lexington Township, Ohio, part of the Mahoning River basin. A conservation easement is an agreement between a landowner and a nonprofit land trust or government agency, allowing the landowner to limit development on their property. The restoration work performed by Davey Mitigation crews on this project created mitigation credits, which have already been purchased by land developers, including 10,236 stream restoration credits, and 57 and a half wetlands restoration and enhancement credits. Davey Mitigation contracted with S+W on a turnkey project during which they provided project management, land control, construction oversight and will continue to manage the project during the maintenance and monitoring period. The work included the mitigation plan, construction oversight, seeding, invasives, coir matting, and Davey will continue to assist with monitoring and maintenance. The stream and wetland design and construction oversight was all managed by Davey. The wetland and stream mitigation construction was completed in the spring. In July and August, invasive vegetation control (IVC) was applied to existing populations of common teasel, purple loosestrife, reed canary grass, and cattail, in and around the mitigation area. Additional IVC site visits will continue as needed for the next 10 years. "This project was a unique opportunity to focus the skills and capabilities of multiple Davey teams toward a common goal, while furthering existing client and partner relationships. The end product, a restored and permanently protected stream and wetland complex, serves as a great testimony of what Davey can accomplish," said David Godley, operations manager, Davey Mitigation. Above: A Davey crew installs coir matting, made from coconut fibers, along the stream banks. Coir matting helps protect areas of higher water velocities in the A wetland cell is pictured from below a raised bank known as a berm. Immediately in the front of the wetland cell is an impounded area that will become an emergent wetland. Behind the wetland cell are hummocks, or roughed up areas, that will become forested wetlands. The berm allows a lot of water to be held on the landscape, while the hummocks create biodiversity allowing different plant species to grow at the various elevations and saturation levels to create a great wetland habitat. newly created stream banks, so they don't erode or scour. A temporary and permanent native seed mix was applied along with straw mulch. The temporary seed grows quickly to hold the soil together, aided by the mulch and matting, until the roots of the permanent native herbaceous cover and woody stems grow to provide stabilization. Inset: Pictured is an aerial shot of the 104-acre Deer Creek Wetland and Stream conservation easement property. A total of 62,675 trees, shrubs, and live stakes were planted with assistance from Shenandoah Habitats, a provider of large-scale reforestation. To see an aerial video of the project, scan here. T i l VISION

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