Presented by Ken Yocom, Susan Buis, Ben Alexander, and Andrew Bjorn

Restoration ecology aims to return previously degraded sites to healthy ecological function.  Historically, however, the discipline has focused on areas not slated for human habitation. After completing this session, you will have covered the following learning objectives.

 Learning Objectives

• This session focuses on using the tools of restoration ecology to rehabilitate and revitalize urban sites to complement Living Buildings.
• Using site inventory techniques, this session discusses invasive species removal and reintroducing native species, soil function restoration, and bio- and phytoremediation techniques.
• Techniques for measuring success of restoration efforts, such as visual sampling and indexing biological integrity, will also be introduced.
• Case study examples of successful restoration ecology efforts in urban contexts will help tie concepts together.

Take the Session

S03 - Video Playback

Note: by clicking on this link you will be directed to Cascadia's secure server for registration and payment. Sessions are $75 for Cascadia members, and $90 for non-members. By registering and purchasing this session, you will have 60 consecutive days to view the content.

Take the Quiz

 S03 Quiz

Note: Taking the quiz is intended for individuals seeking the Living Building Leader designation. You are entitled to take the quiz once, which requires a 70% passing score. Any score below 70% precludes the session from being counted towards your Living Building Leader designation. Please prepare accordingly.

Resources

Loads of useful information! www.soundnativeplants.com
Society for Ecological Restoration: www.ser.org
Society of Wetland Scientists: www.sws.org
International Society of Arboriculture: www.isa-arbor.com
Native plant nursery list: www.kingcounty.gov/environment/stewardship/nw-yard-and-garden/native-plant-nurseries-washington.aspx
Plant ID key: biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php?Page=plantkey.php
Nature Conservancy weed info: tncweeds.ucdavis.edu
King County weed information: www.kingcounty.gov/environment/animalsandplants/noxious-weeds/weed-news.aspx
USDA Soils info: soils.usda.gov
Living with wildlife: wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/living/index.htm
Low-Impact Development: www.psparchives.com/our_work/stormwater/lid.htm
Irrigation scheduling calculator: www.iwms.org/C_Sprinklers.html

Publications:

Cooke, S. S., ed. 1997. A Field Guide to the Common Wetland Plants of Western Washington and Northwestern Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society/Washington Native Plant Society. Seattle, Washington.
 
Gilkey, H. M. and P. L. Packard. 2001. Winter twigs. OSU Press. Corvalis, Oregon.
 
Pojar, J. and A. MacKinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Redmond, Washington.
 
Leigh, M. 1999. Grow Your Own Native Landscape. Native Plant Salvage Project/WSU Cooperative Extension – Thurston County. Olympia, Washington.
 
Rose, R., Chachulski, C. E. C, and D. L. Haase. 1998. Propagation of Pacific Northwest Native Plants. Oregon State University Press. Corvallis, Oregon.
 
Harris, R. W., Clark, J. R., and N. P. Matheny. 1999. Aboriculture: Integrated Management of Landscape Trees, Shrubs and Vines. 3rd ed. Prentice Hall. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

Shigo, A. L. 1993. 100 Tree Myths. Shigo and Trees, Associates. Durham, New Hampshire.
 
Kruckeberg, A. R. 1996. Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest. 2nd ed. University of Washington Press. Seattle, Washington.
 
Link, R. 1999. Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Seattle, Washington.
 
Link, R. 2004. Living with Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Seattle, Washington.

Margolin, M. 1985. The Earth Manual: How to Work on Wild Land Without Taming It. Heydey Books. Berkeley, California.
 
Stevens, M. L., Gordon, D.G., and D. Sheldon. 1993. Restoring Wetlands in Washington. Washington State Department of Ecology. Olympia, Washington.

Watson, G. W. and E.B. Himelick. 1997. Pinciples and Practice of Planting Trees and Shrubs. The International Society of Arboriculture. Savoy, Illinois.

 Presenters

Ken Yocom, PhD - Assistant Professor, University of Washington

With a background in wildlife ecology, landscape architecture, and urban planning, Ken brings over 12 years of professional experience in restoration design, watershed analysis, land use planning, and field-based research. He recently joined the landscape architecture faculty at the University of Washington focusing his teaching and research on topics associated with urban ecological design and planning. Prior to joining academia he was employed with ESA Adolfson, an environmental consulting firm in Seattle doing a wide range of work from small scale site design to managing watershed analysis and planning projects. He also worked for nearly six years with Seattle Public Utilities focusing on the analysis and management of several urban watersheds.

Susan Buis - Co-founder, Sound Native Plants

Susan is co-founder of Sound Native Plants and is a recognized authority on propagating northwest native plants. Needing a new challenge, Susan is currently on leave from the business and is furthering her work in restoring native plants as horticulturist for the Washington State Department of Transportation.  However, she continues to consult and give workshops on the side.

Susan is a contributing editor to the Native Plants Journal and speaks widely on the subjects of writing specifications for native plants for restoration and mitigation projects, native plant propagation and other topics. She has lectured and given workshops for the Society of Wetland Scientists, the Society for Ecological Restoration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Washington State Departments of Ecology and Transportation, the Washington Native Plant Society, the Ornamentals Northwest Seminars, and numerous local community projects and groups.

Ben Alexander - Restoration Ecologist + Co-founder, Sound Native Plants

Ben Alexander co-founded Sound Native Plants, an Olympia, Washington-based ecological restoration company, in 1991. He has more than 20 years of experience planning and implementing ecological restoration projects. His responsibilities include wetland delineation and mitigation reports, designing shoreline and slope bioengineering, supervising staff and managing field operations. Mr. Alexander has taught classes on shoreline and slope stabilization using vegetation for the Washington Coastal Training Program, WSU Cooperative Extension, Washington Department of Ecology, and others. Mr. Alexander’s previous experience includes serving as the senior environmental planner for Thurston County’s Storm and Surface Water Program, and managing roadside and wilderness ecological restoration programs in Olympic National Park and Yosemite National Park. He has several publications to his credit, including Green Cove Creek Comprehensive Drainage Basin Plan, Thurston County, WA, 1997; "Restoring Yosemite's Wildlands" in the Bulletin of the Yosemite Association, CA, 1989; contributing author, Oaks of California, ed. John Evarts, Cachuma Press, CA, 1992; Photographic Documentation: Soleduck Revegetation Project, USDI National Park Service, Denver, CO, 1991.

Andrew Bjorn

Andrew Bjorn is a doctoral candidate in the Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Urban Design and Planning at the University of Washington. His primary research interests include the relationships between environmental quality and the residential real estate market, and he has also conducted research on environmental life-cycle analysis, climate change policy, voluntary environmental regulation and brownfields remediation. His teaching experience includes courses in interdisciplinary urban ecology at institutions in Seattle and Norway. His other professional interests include food security issues and quantitative econometric analyses for social nonprofits. Previously, he earned a BSCEE in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a MASc in Civil Engineering and a MScPl in Urban Planning from the University of Toronto.  He currently resides in Seattle.