Davey Mitigation Restores Wetlands On Agricultural Land In Eden, MD

The Walnut Tree mitigation site sits on 17.55 acres of active row crop farm fields that are bisected by man-made drainage ditches and surrounded by forests in Eden, Maryland. The site was selected as part of a permittee-responsible mitigation project for the Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional Airport.

The Challenge

The active agriculture on the site, along with the manmade drainage ditches, has disrupted the natural ecosystem in the area. 

To restore the area to its original form and help the Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional Airport comply with its compensatory wetland mitigation requirements needed to complete its construction project, Davey Mitigation got to work enhancing the wetlands at Walnut Tree.

The Solution

In the Fall of 2024, Davey Mitigation crews, led by KBS Earthwork Inc. and overseen by Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc., a Davey company, filled drainaged ditches, installed clay liners around ditches that couldn’t be filled, removed underdrains, and performed minor depressional grading to help boost the water quality on-site. They planted diverse native vegetation to encourage native wildlife populations and implemented erosion and sediment control measures.

With construction complete, Davey Mitigation will monitor the site for 10 years to determine the success and continued viability of their work.

The Results

As part of a permittee-responsible mitigation site, Walnut Tree generated wetland mitigation credits for the Salisbury-Ocean City Wicominco Regional Airport to use during a runway expansion project.

Walnut Tree’s ecology continues to improve post-construction.