Stormwater management

Controlling the quantity and quality of precipitation that moves across the surface (overland flow or runoff), with the goal of reducing pollutant loads to waterways. Management methods can be structural (e.g., a stormwater pond), or non-structural (e.g., street sweeping).

Stream stabilization

Structural (e.g., stone, wood) or vegetative practices designed to reduce erosion, improve water quality, and maintain streambank integrity to convey water flows without generating excessive sediment and pollutants as a result of erosion.

Flooding

Submerging normally dry land with water. Flooding can be a result of high tides (e.g., sunny day flooding), large storm events (e.g., stormwater flooding), or overbank flooding (e.g., water fills a stream and spills out onto adjacent land outside of the stream channel).

Shoreline stabilization

Structural (e.g., stone, wood) or vegetative practices designed to reduce wave energy, control sediment, and maintain shoreline integrity to protect coastal areas from excessive erosion caused by wave action, storm events, and currents.  

Habitat enhancement

Management techniques that involve manipulating physical, chemical, or biological features designed to increase the ecological value of a given habitat (e.g., forest, meadow, freshwater) for native flora and fauna. Examples include removing invasive species and planting native vegetation, adding features like woody debris to serve as shelter for wildlife, and restoring waterbodies such as wetlands to provide areas for wildlife to establish.

Water quality

The physical, chemical, and biological components of water that can affect public health and ecosystem health. Poor water quality can have adverse impacts on plants and wildlife, or be dangerous for human contact.

Connectivity

The linking of multiple areas (e.g., forests) to create a larger habitat area where wildlife and plants can move freely. Many plants and wildlife benefit from connected habitats where they have a greater ability to move around, establish a territory, or find food, mates, or shelter.

Community aesthetics

A shared sense of collective identity in a given place that can include plants, structures, art, and landscape features. Frequently, native plants are considered beautiful by communities and as such are considered ‘aesthetic’ when compared to a mowed turfgrass area or an area dominated by invasive plants or the ‘built’ environment (e.g., concrete structures or other human-made structures).