Best Restoration in Greensboro NC

Restoration in Greensboro NC specializes in the treatment of chronic pain through medication management and physical and occupational therapy. Its staff works hard to find solutions for patients with conditions like fibromyalgia, migraines, and neuropathy, helping them get relief from the painful side effects of their prescriptions. This nonjudgmental approach to pain management helps its clients live a more fulfilled life.

Stream Restoration

Stream restoration aims to restore the general form, function and self-sustaining processes of a stream system as it existed prior to watershed perturbation. This may be achieved by removing the causes of impairment, building structures to protect streambanks and provide habitat, or reshaping unstable streams.

A healthy stream is a critical part of an entire ecosystem. Unhealthy streams can cause adjacent riparian areas and wetlands to suffer, and aquatic species to disappear. This is why it is important to address any problems that are found on a property’s stream.

You can tell if a stream has been restored properly by looking at the slope of the water surface and the structure of the banks. The water should be shallower near the banks and deeper in the center. There should also be pools and riffles in the stream and the banks should be stable. Look for fish in the water as well. This is an excellent indicator of stream health and a good sign that your restoration projects have been successful.

Planting along a stream bank is also an important element of stream restoration. The roots of the plants help to control erosion and provide habitat for wildlife. In addition, trees provide shading to reduce water temperature and a source of wood and biomass for the stream system.

Buffer Restoration

A buffer is a strip of natural vegetation along a waterbody (stream, river, pond or wetland) that contains a variety of tree, shrub and ground layer species. Buffers protect water quality in a number of ways by slowing runoff, filtering pollutants and stabilizing stream banks. They are often referred to as riparian buffers.

A high-quality riparian buffer is densely vegetated with native trees, shrubs and grasses and is free from invasive species. Grass species should be selected that can thrive in wet soil conditions and should be free of tall fescue, which inhibits the re-establishment of native species.

Ideally, a forest buffer should be maintained with a mixture of fine and coarse woody debris to provide habitat features for aquatic organisms. This should include logs of varying sizes, brushy clumps and leaf litter. Buffers should also be maintained free of weeds, which are difficult to manage in wet soil conditions.

Many programs provide financial incentives to landowners to plant and maintain riparian buffers. If a buffer on your property is in need of restoration, contact your local stormwater program or a local watershed or conservation organization for assistance with funding, technical advice and volunteer opportunities to help with planting. If you don’t have the land to plant your own buffers, you can participate by organizing and helping with riparian tree planting events on other landowners’ properties with their permission.

Wetland Restoration

Wetlands are unique ecosystems that provide a wide range of environmental benefits. However, they are extremely fragile and are subject to a variety of stresses. As such, it is important to evaluate the relative merits of restoring or creating new wetlands on a case-by-case basis.

Historically, the state of North Carolina was replete with wetlands. Unfortunately, wetlands were drained for agricultural purposes and now only a fraction remain (Biebighauser 2007). Fortunately, wetland restoration can be an effective strategy for restoring critical habitat.

Wetland restoration focuses on the reestablishment of natural hydrologic conditions by decreasing drainage and increasing surface water storage. This can be accomplished by removing drain pipes, filling in drainage ditches, restoring surface roughness, site grading and raising associated stream bed elevation. Additionally, reintroduction of native wetland vegetation and removal of undesirable invasive species is an essential component to the success of a wetland restoration project.

In addition to the biological function of wetlands, they serve as flood control, water quality improvement, and sediment retention. In many cases, wetlands also provide a valuable habitat for wildlife.

Mitigation Sites

The North Carolina Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP) is a state agency that provides credits for developers to offset impacts to streams, wetlands, and other water resources. The EEP’s goal is to restore stream segments that are altered, degraded, or disturbed and to make compensatory mitigation projects more ecologically uplifting than on-site site mitigation.

To facilitate this objective, the EEP analyzed the location of impact and mitigation sites on a landscape-scale using geographic information systems (GIS) technology. The study used data sets describing stream, wetland and riparian buffer impacts and mitigation projects. A statewide trend was observed of aquatic resource relocation from urban to rural areas.

More than 16,000 linear feet of stream segments in five Greensboro City parks have been restored by the EEP. The projects in Benbow Park, Brown Bark Park, Gillespie Golf Course, Sussman Park and Hillsdale Park have transformed unstable or altered stream corridors to a natural or stable condition. The work has restored stream geomorphic dimension, pattern and profile, water quality and habitat.

The Piedmont Triad is on the cusp of securing another trajectory-changing project. The Greensboro-Randolph Megasite, located on the Guilford and Randolph County line in Liberty, has been attracting national attention since narrowly missing out on a Toyota-Mazda car plant investment last year. The prestigious development has the potential to bring 4,000 jobs and $2.3 billion in investments.