Abstract
Residential development and recreation cause lake shoreland degradation, triggering vegetation loss and soil erosion. Shoreland restorations have been attempted for > 30 yrs but practices have received minimal evaluation and outcomes are unpredictable. Using comprehensive project records (13–20 yrs) and ecosystem response metrics (shoreline stability and vegetation), we assessed nine urban shoreland restoration sites, each making up part of a single large initiative on Lake Phalen, Minnesota, to ascertain guiding principles. Restoration scope included littoral wetlands, wet meadows, and upland prairie/savanna. All sites received attention to altered landforms, soil erosion, and active revegetation. In general, these restored shorelands are well-vegetated with native plant species, have low abundance of introduced and invasive species, and are, with some exceptions, very stable. Bank erosion was observed on four sites: high slope areas without full riprap berms. Informal footpath formation generated bare soil and required regular monitoring and response. Post-restoration management to control introduced species and encourage native vegetation establishment never exceeded 5% of individual project costs (per year). Although the number of introduced species/site ranged from 12–39 (in 2021), most sites (8) have 0–2 species with > 1% cover and none > 5%, suggesting that management was effective. Recovery lags of native vegetation were most evident at locations prone to stressors that favored introduced and invasive species over native species, particularly those with high recreational (pedestrian) traffic, high muskrat activity, and near large, unmanaged stands of invasive plants. Shoreland vegetation management overwhelmingly required fine-scale, inherently labor-intensive control approaches, which necessitated regular surveillance and rapid response.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 87-99 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Ecological Restoration |
Volume | 42 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:©2024 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.
Keywords
- Minnesota
- cost estimation
- invasive species management
- littoral wetlands
- soil erosion control