Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Box 10-1. Lesson Learned: Plant Palette Substitutions
The local office of a statewide agency designed a preliminary restoration plan using
appropriate native plant species for the upland portion of the project site. The state
office prepared the plans, specifications, and bid package for the project. The agency's
state office selected the low-bid landscape contractor for plant acquisition, installa-
tion, and maintenance. Having never installed a native plant restoration project, the
contractor was unaware that the plant materials needed to be contract grown the year
prior to when the site was ready for plant installation. When it came time for plant
installation, the contractor could not find a sufficient amount of several of the desig-
nated upland plant species at any of the native plant nurseries in the region. The con-
tractor requested permission to substitute cultivars of native plant species and other
native plants that were not local to the region. The state office approved their request
without conferring with the local office that designed the project.
The agency learned that the local designers of the project need to be included in
any revisions to the restoration plan. The agency also learned that sometimes there is
sufficient reason to exclude the low-bid contractor when that contractor has no prior
experience with native plant restoration projects.
One innovative agency in Washington State, USA, established a Native Plant Salvage Program
(King County Department of Natural Resources 2011), with a holding facility to maintain an inventory
of native plants typically used in restoration for the region. Volunteers remove plants from sites that are
scheduled for construction and later replant this native vegetation at salmonid habitat restoration proj-
ect sites and water quality improvement projects around the county. This successful native plant salvage
program has been in operation for more than fifteen years. There are several factors requiring evalua-
tion when contemplating the salvage of specimen plants (chapter 8). You should already have a list of
all of the materials that will be required for the construction and installation of your project (chapter 9).
You will need to arrange for the labor to get the job done. Some regions have nonprofit natural
resource employment organizations that can supply trained workers and supervisors. You will need
to organize volunteers well in advance of the work and have a contingency plan if they become un-
available. Sometimes, project managers working in rural areas have been able to establish strong
ongoing working relationships with farmers and ranchers who have workers experienced in the
operation of agricultural equipment that can be used to implement elements of a project.
The demands on time and logistics may be such that contracting some or all of the responsibil-
ities to experienced contractors may be the most efficient way to complete your project.
Equipment and Tools
Selection of the proper tools or equipment needed for the job is essential for a cost-effective resto-
ration project. The wide assortment of equipment and tools available to restoration practitioners
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