Understanding the Benefits and Process of Ecological Evaluations

Land owners and managers often feel a sense of responsibility to serve as effective stewards of the property they oversee, not only to preserve the natural landscape but also to safeguard it from potential threats. You may also be interested in underdeveloped areas of the property as you seek additional information to understand the landscape, its value and how to best promote preservation in the future. But to accomplish these goals, you need the assistance of an expert who specializes in the area of ecological evaluations. A specialist can point out significant ecological features through an evaluation process. If you haven’t done this before, you may be wondering how the process works and what to expect.

Understanding environmental features

Once you’ve found an expert, the best place to start is by holding a meeting. During this meeting, you can discuss your goals for the property and decide the best way to move forward with an evaluation. Once this is determined, the expert will explore the property, often through a series of visits. He or she will search for a variety of items, which may include:

• Major types of vegetation
• Dominant ecological trends
• Environmentally important features

The expert also will be on the lookout for potential threats to and constraints on the health of the landscape. After this process is complete, he or she may offer an oral consultation or prepare a report, which typically includes recommendations and best practices for preserving the property and being a good steward moving forward. The fees to complete these tasks typically vary, based on the size of the area.

Ecologically informed landscape design

After reviewing the report, you may also be interested in an ecologically informed landscape design, and if so, the expert can often assist with this. Basically this is a design similar to a garden design, yet it has an ecological focus. For example, the expert might provide ecological restoration or ecological mapping at several scales.

However, regardless of your reasons for seeking an ecological evaluation, it’s always important to start with the right expert. Doing so will make a difference as you plan and prepare for the future management of the land you own or manage.

Do you need assistance with planning, building, construction, or improvement projects that require ecological evaluations? If so, we can help. For more information, call us at 203-451-8319, contact us online or email us at danzer@ctwetlandsconsulting.com.