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Some of the largest tree planting projects in the last few years fall under the “Wetlands
Mitigation Banking” system, which provides for the establishment of wetlands to compensate for wetlands that are converted
to other uses. A typical example is the development of shopping malls on wetlands. To compensate for the removal of those
wetlands, Federal regulations require the restoration of wetlands elsewhere.
Such efforts often require the
planting of vast numbers of trees. The type and often the size of trees are specified by the regulating agency. (Note: Regardless
of the originating agency, the Army Corps of Engineers must also sign off on the project.)
Sometimes, the project also entails the removal
of “junk” trees and the planting of more valuable species and varieties. Because of more extensive, denser root
systems, trees have a greater stabilizing effect on soil, especially in wetlands.
Moreover, the inclusion of a variety of tree
species fulfills the goal of creating a diverse natural habitat. Trees themselves encourage the proliferation of the types
of plants that do not thrive in full sunlight, thus further diversifying the flora beneath their canopy.
PROTECTING TREES
Because of the additional time, effort and
utilization of resources required to restore wetlands in general and to plant trees in particular, the installation of tree
protectors is strongly recommended.
Deer and other animals inflict damage on and
destroy hundreds of thousands of newly planted seedlings each year. While many
of these trees cost less than a dollar, the labor, overhead and time costs can be very high.
Replacing dead trees without adequate protection is just asking for more trouble. For these reasons, an ever-increasing
number of planters insist on TREE PRO protectors.
SAWGRASS BAYOU MITIGATION
AREA: Louisiana
Blind River Properties owns and
manages 32,000 acres of swampland, of which nearly 2100 acres have been designated as a mitigation area for developers and
other permittees needing wetlands credits.
They have planted thousands of bald cypress
on their property, in areas only a duck hunter would love. According to Dale Martin, Blind River Properties President, their success rate was pretty low
until they started using Miracle Tube shelters to protect the trees.
“The problem, according
to Mr. Martin, “was that Nutrias* were ravaging the trees within days of their being planted. Survival rate over time was basically nil. No matter what
we tried, the nutria eventually found the tree and destroyed it.”
Blind River presented the problem to TREE
PRO designers, who came up with a protector design that not only solved the Nutria problem, it also solved problems created
by other protectors because of poor design.
TREE PRO developed a shelter with just the
right blend of color density and translucence. Called Miracle Tube, this shelter is available in vented or unvented
form. Vented protectors are preferred in wet environments because they reduce and can totally eliminate mildew, mold, algae
and wet rot. Unvented protectors tend to trap water and drown trees. Vented shelters allow air to flow freely into the protector and around the tree.
“With the installation of several hundred
thousand Miracle Tube tree protectors,” Mr. Martin says, “the project survival rate has improved dramatically
and replanting costs were cut by a significant amount.”
*The Nutria (also called the coypu) is a large,
semi-aquatic South American rodent. It was introduced to the USA, Asia, and Europe for its fur. It now lives in swamps, in
marshes, and near lakes, streams, and rivers, digging burrows near water in rainforests, temperate forests, and grasslands.
The nutria is nocturnal, remaining in its burrow during the day. The nutria's life span is about 6 years. Nutrias range up
to about 3 ft (0.9 m) long and weigh up to about 35 pounds (16 kg). They have reddish-brown outer-fur and a soft dense, gray
under-fur (the valuable under-fur of this rodent is also called nutria). Webbed toes on the hind feet help this mammal swim.
It has a long, cylindrical, sparsely haired tail. The ears are small and the legs are short.
Nutrias are herbivores; they eat fresh-water plants, leaves,
stems, roots, bark, and grains. Like all rodents, their two front teeth continue to grow throughout their lives, and the nutria
must gnaw and chew to wear these teeth down. The state of Louisiana has placed a bounty on nutria because of the devastation
they have caused to wetlands.
MONASTERY
PROJECT: Georgia
Berry Edwards,
president and founder of WARD EDWARDS, Inc. was with Law Engineering & Environmental Services in 1996 when they bid on
and won this mitigation bank project.
“We knew
going in that this would be a tough, problematic project. Not all mitigation sites are created equal and this one was near
the bottom in terms of the lengths we needed to go to to be successful.”
The project called
for the planting of 25,000 bare-root trees, much of it under an established canopy. The contractors’ first task was
to remove thousands of non-native shrubs and undesirable trees.
“Having
previously had some challenging experiences with another company’s tubes,” Mr. Edwards said, “we were committed
to doing this job right from the beginning. The contractor’s job of planting was tough enough without the prospect of
having to do it over.”
Even though installing
Tree Pro protectors raised initial costs and labor, in the long run it saved the company a significant amount of time and
money. As a result, their overall costs as well as customer satisfaction improved.
To date the tree
survival rate for the Monastery Project is 75 percent. Although WARD EDWARDS normally gets 90 percent survival with the Tree
Pro tubes, given the challenges of this installation, Mr. Edwards thinks 75 percent is quite satisfactory.
COVENANT TRANSPORT PROJECT:
Chattanooga, TN
In 1997 a contractor
working with Law Engineering planted 640 B&B trees, averaging two inches in diameter as part of a wetland mitigation and
riparian stream restoration project. The purpose was to jump start the succession process and establish critical stream canopy
cover as well as promote the growth of some better species to the area.
Shortly after initiating the planting of the
trees, it became apparent that the project was attracting the unwanted attention of the beavers in the area. By adding the Tree Pro protectors, our beaver problems were quickly eliminated. Says Mr. Edwards, “To achieve a better survival and growth rate, spending more time and money initially
is well worth the effort.”
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