Davey Mitigation Plants Native Trees To Help Improve Stream Quality At Dutch Farms
Davey Mitigation restored more than 5,700 linear feet of stream, restored over 2.5 acres of wetlands, and planted more than 12,000 native trees at the Dutch Farms Mitigation Bank in Guilford County, NC, to help stabilize the stream banks on-site and improve water quality.
Dutch Farms is a former agricultural site used for livestock in Guilford County, NC that housed several streams that drain into Big Almanac Creek. The 16.57 acres of land were used to house cattle, which caused severe damage to the area's ecological makeup.
The Challenge
For Dutch Farms, the presence of cattle on-site led to stream bank instability and erosion from hoof shear, excessive nutrient loading, and lack of woody vegetation from agricultural practices.
The landowners sought help to reduce nutrient levels and sediment input in the stream, create suitable habitats, and establish a conservation easement on the land to protect it from harmful uses. Davey Mitigation was able to help.
The Solution
Davey Mitigation performed a site-wide discing, or tilling, of agricultural and pasture areas before planting native tree species and installed fences along the area to prevent cattle from entering the easement.
The Mitigation team planted 12,200 native bare-root hardwood saplings across 14.14 acres of the land, and 7,500 native live stakes and bare-root hardwood saplings along the stream bank to create a buffer zone.
Nutrient and sediment input into the stream will decrease by filtering runoff from agricultural fields through newly planted native buffer zones. Once mature, the trees will also help shade the area, reducing thermal pollution.
The Results
Davey Mitigation continually monitors the area to ensure the newly planted trees are growing as intended. Of the area’s 16.57 acres protected under the conservation easement, 12.49 acres can provide riparian buffer and nutrient offset credits.
With the conservation easement in place, Dutch Farms is protected from any activity that could reverse Davey Mitigation’s restoration efforts, allowing the area to thrive long term.
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