Landowner Conservation Information

We have extensive experience partnering with landowners and can help you protect the valuable natural resources on your land while enabling connections to multiple potential revenue streams to maximize the landowners opportunity at recognizing equity while protecting critical habitat.

Working With Landowners

State and federal agencies often require a wide array of permits for construction projects, including when a project affects natural resources. One way to meet the permit criteria for water resources required by the agencies is mitigation.

Private property is often the best-suited land for mitigation projects. Davey Mitigation has extensive experience partnering with landowners to help protect the valuable resources on their land while enabling connections to multiple revenue streams, allowing landowners to maintain ownership and private access while becoming part of a project’s environmental stewardship.

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Blackpond Stream Restoration Project on Crosswinds Farm, Fauquier County, 2023

What Does Environmental Restoration Mean For My Land?

Davey Mitigation compensates a landowner with a per-acre payment, which allows them to conduct the work and place a permanent conservation easement over the restored land. In addition to the per-acre compensation, Davey Mitigation will install and improve farm infrastructure, such as new fencing, cattle watering stations, improved farm roads, and new crossings over streams, while completing the mitigation work.

To accomplish the restoration and meet standards for environmental improvement could include a variety of construction techniques such as filling ditches and canals to restore drained wetlands, grading of floodplain areas for wetland restoration, channel relocation/re-contouring  and/or stabilization of stream banks, and reseed and replant the area with native herbaceous plants and hardwood trees and natural grasses. We perform the work while ensuring your property remains profitable and productive.

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Where Does The Compensation Come From?

When a land development project, such as a housing subdivision, highway widening, or other development project disturbs natural resources, state and federal agencies require mitigation to compensate for the loss of that resource as part of the permitting process. When a project meets the necessary permitting criteria, Davey Mitigation sells the credits from mitigation projects completed through conservation easements.

Wiehlenorth Beforeafter

Before and after shots of a Northern Virginia Stream Restoration Bank in Reston, Virginia.

Conservation Easement FAQs

A conservation easement is a written agreement between a landowner and the State of North Carolina that protects water quality by maintaining or establishing natural vegetation in a streamside or wetland parcel or buffer. All conservation easements used for the North Carolina Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP) purposes are perpetual and will forever transfer with the land to maintain its integrity. The property under conservation easement cannot be used for commercial, residential or industrial development or cultivation, but instead will be kept in a natural state.

No, the easement would only apply to the portion of land specifically identified and agreed upon between the landowner and Restoration Systems.

Davey Resource Group is interested in property that could be restored to provide for the improvement of water quality. Davey Resource Group wants sites that have a high probability of success based on hydrology, soils, and vegetation. Priority is given to sites that need re-vegetation or erosion control. Davey Resource Group is also interested in areas that have rare plants or animals, endangered aquatic species, or degraded stream.

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Browse Our Mitigation Solutions

Bank Credits Sollog8

Bank Credits

Davey Mitigation leverages its network of mitigation bank partnerships to find clients' comprehensive solutions to successfully navigate the permitting process for the following types of credits stream, wetland, nutrient, and carbon.

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Mitigation Custom Solutions

Custom Mitigation Solutions

No matter how complex the mitigation challenge, our team is up to the task. Davey has extensive experience with all aspects of mitigation, including permittee-responsible mitigation projects, full-delivery mitigation solutions, and more.

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Streams & Wetlands

Davey Mitigation works under numerous different state and federal programs, which include mitigation banks, customized mitigation projects for specific permits, and turnkey or “full delivery” projects for in-lieu fee programs as well as private equity investors. 

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Water Quality

Invest in the future of clean water with reducing nutrient loading by minimizing runoff on agricultural lands and/or preventing active erosion on degraded streams. This green infrastructure approach allows for the impact of stormwater compliance to be seen and felt across the landscape.

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Living Shoreline

Designed to protect the community’s marina, existing bulkhead, and eroding fringing marsh, the living shoreline was constructed from our proprietary QuickReef® living shoreline system.

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Dam Removal

Dam Removal

Davey Mitigation has extensive experience with dam removal projects. We work closely with regulatory agencies to verify the uplift from these projects and are able to tap our in-house technical and operational expertise to adequately assess feasibility and risk.​

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The Six-Step Mitigation Process

STEP 1

At no cost to you, allow Davey Mitigation to evaluate your land for mitigation by granting access to "walk the site." Davey Mitigation’s team of experienced scientists will examine the property in careful detail, making sure it is a good candidate for restoration while allowing the remainder of the property to be used in the same manner that it was before.

~2-4 weeks

STEP 2

If Davey Mitigation believes the land has marketable mitigation potential, we will provide a standard restoration and protection contract. We ask that the landowner carefully review the contract with family and other owners of the property to understand exactly what the legal responsibilities are regarding the property if it is restored and protected for mitigation.

~2 weeks

STEP 3

If Davey Mitigation secures a buyer, we perform a detailed title search to assure the land is in no way encumbered in a manner that conflicts with permanent protection. If satisfied with the legal status of the property, we close on the contract and assume responsibility for the conservation easement.

~1-2 years

STEP 4

Davey Mitigation's scientists and contractors plan and design the restoration project to meet the unique conditions of the property. Several hundred hours are spent in the field and office engineering the restoration so that it will be sustainable, beneficial and compatible with existing and future land use.

~1 - 2 years (simultaneous with Step 3)

STEP 5

Upon receiving all necessary permits, Davey Mitigation will construct the restoration and plant the area with appropriate, native vegetation—often more than 600 trees per acre— which are then protected by the conservation easement.

~up to 1 year, varies by project size

STEP 6

Davey Mitigation will monitor and maintain the restoration. The landowner has no direct role or responsibility for the project, although they must follow the terms of the conservation easement over the long term.

~10 years of monitoring & maintenance

Other Frequently Asked Questions

How Does Payment Work?

As a landowner, you would be compensated either through the sale of a conservation easement or through the outright sale of your land.

Can I Still Use The Property?

Mitigation sites are protected through the creation of a permanent conservation easement or environmental covenant that restricts activities that would interfere with the project’s goals and purposes. However, passive recreational activities within the easement—such as hunting, birdwatching, and fishing—are reserved for the landowner’s enjoyment.

What If I Need To Sell The Property In The Future?

The property can still be sold at a future date subject to the conservation easement.

Why Choose Davey Mitigation?

With more than a century of history serving clients, we know how to create lasting landowner partnerships and projects that stand the test of time. In fact, we’ve been involved in the science and practice of ecological restoration since its inception. We offer clients a host of mitigation solutions in a variety of markets, enabling connections to multiple potential revenue streams for our landowner partners. Our family of brands features local experts with various specialties, including professional wetland scientists, ecologists, engineers, and GIS professionals.

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Featured Mitigation Solutions Work

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Wetland Restoration In Henry County, IN

Davey Mitigation removed invasive plant species and weeds, created new wetlands, and planted native plants to restore the Candace Lee Fink wetland mitigation site in Henry County, IN.
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Stream & Wetland Restoration In Rogersville, TN Helps To Re-Establish River Habitat

The Pressmen Stream and Wetland Mitigation Bank is around 80.42 acres located on a portion of the relic golf course of the Pressmen’s property. Due to the previous land practices, on-site streams have experienced water quality and habitat degradation, loss of riparian buffers, and channelization.
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Stream Restoration In Fauquier County, VA

Davey Mitigation restored nearly 3,000 linear feet of stream on a farm in Fauquier County, VA, stabilizing the stream and re-establishing habitats for native plants and animals.
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Davey Mitigation Created & Restored Wetlands At Former Agricultural Site In Rice, VA.

In 2023, Davey Mitigation restored soil, water, and vegetation quality at a former cattle grazing site through wetland enhancements and creation.
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Browse Our Work

Get In Touch With A Mitigation Specialist Today

General Questions

TJ Mascia, Vice President

(252) 723-0815

[email protected]

Landowner Information

Patrick Link, Land Operations Manager

(815) 931-8912

[email protected]

Credit Inquiries

Caitlan Hooker, Market Analyst

(843) 261-3049

[email protected]

Project Information

Brad Breslow, Sr. Project Manager

(847) 774-8404

[email protected]

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