WRA Landscape Restoration

Loch Lomond Marina Wetland Restoration

Planting

WRA Landscape Restoration completed the design, layout, irrigation, and planting for over 2,000 species covering two sites at the Loch Lomond Marina. Plantings included native wetland species such as Saltgrass (Distichlis spicata), Pickleweed (Salicornia pacifica), Gumplant (Grindilia stricta var. angustifolia), Jaumea (Jaumea carnosa), Frankinia (Frankenia salina), Creeping rye (Elymus triticoidies), Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), and Coyote bush (Baccaris pilularis), In addition to providing important habitat to sensitive bird species like the Ridgway's rail (Rallus obsoletus), both sites will also provide recreational access to shorelines of the San Francisco Bay.

Corte Madera Ecological Reserve Vegetation and Invasive Species Management

Planting

WRA was hired to design and implement wetland habitat restoration and public access features for this project in Marin County. The restored tidal marsh habitat provides habitat for federally listed species, including California Ridgway's rail and salt marsh harvest mouse, as well as fulfilling tidal marsh wetland mitigation requirements for the client. WRA Landscape Restoration currently leads the ongoing vegetation and invasive species management at the site. This work includes maintaining irrigation of native wetland plantings for the duration of the dry season, monitoring for and controlling invasive species with an emphasis on California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC) ‘high’ rated plants, assessing overall plant health, and replanting as necessary to meet success criteria.

Marin Grassland Restoration and Vegetation Management

Invasive Plant Management

In 2019, WRA Landscape Restoration was awarded a -year contract to perform selective invasive plant control work in ecologically sensitive native grassland communities of Mount Tamalpais in Marin County. The team utilized the Calflora weed manager application to track and record the work performed. They worked closely with Marin Water ecologists to closely map, track, and control occurrences of specific invasive plant species whose proliferation threatens stands of rare plants and native grassland communities. Primary targeted species included Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), Barbed goatgrass (Aegilops triuncialis), and Harding grass (Phalaris aquatica). In 2022 over 100,000 grasses were controlled from invading sensitive grassland habitat areas.

Trailside Invasive Plant Management

Invasive Plant Management

From 2020-2022, WRA Landscape Restoration worked to remove the ecologically-destructive invasive species Jubata grass (Cortaderia jubata) that has overtaken steep cliffs in Pacifica. Skilled restoration experts spot-targeted individual plants using an approved herbicide to kill above- and below-ground plant matter and allow for native species to recolonize the bare rock along the wind-swept coastline. After consecutive years of seasonal spraying and subsequent monitoring and maintenance, the environment is expected to be restored to its natural healthy state, allowing for sensitive native species to grow unencumbered in the area once more.

Coastal Mountains Wetland Restoration

Invasive Plant Management

WRA was hired to provide a suite of environmental services including wetland delineation, biological habitat assessment, sensitive species surveys, and mitigation planning for a site located in the coastal mountains of San Mateo County. This site is sensitive habitat for two federally listed wildlife species – the San Francisco garter snake and California red-legged frog. WRA's Landscape Restoration team performed vegetation removal from constructed ponds that are habitat for the frog, to ensure that the area remains suitable breeding habitat for this species. The team also performed invasive plant control at the site through mechanical and chemical efforts, helping to reestablish native vegetation that supports these species.

Shoreline Invasive Species Control and Native Plant Restoration

Planting

WRA Landscape Restoration manually removed an area completely infested with introduced invasive Iceplant (Carpobrotus edulis) along a bay shoreline.  Following treatment, the crew restored the area by planting several native species including Coyote Bush (Baccharis pilularis), California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica), Coffeeberry (Frangula californica), Silver Lupine (Lupinus albifrons), and California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum).

Cal-IPC Invasive Spartina Project

Invasive Plant Management

WRA Landscape Restoration is working with the California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC) on the Invasive Spartina Project (ISP) to treat the invasive hybrid plant Spartina (alterniflora x foliosa). The ISP, led by the California Coastal Conservancy, is a coordinated regional effort to preserve coastal natural resources by eliminating the introduced species of cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), which has hybridized with the native cordgrass (Spartina foliosa). These highly aggressive invaders are a major threat to natural habitat and species in tidal marshes, mudflats, and creeks. Treatment is executed through careful application of an herbicide via backpack sprayers at various tidal wetland sites within San Mateo County. To access these sites, the team travels via airboat to remote locations, consciously working around tidal patterns to allow for effective and precise application.

Coyote Ridge Invasive Plant Control

Invasive Plant Management

This project was located on a 2,200-acre ranch on Coyote Ridge in Santa Clara County, including large expanses of serpentine grassland home to listed species such as the bay checkerspot butterfly, Santa Clara Valley dudleya (Dudleya abramsii ssp. sechellii), fragrant fritillary (Fritillaria lilacina), Metcalf Canyon jewelflower (Streptanthus albidus ssp. albidus), and most beautiful jewelflower (Streptanthus albidus ssp. peramoenus). Guided by invasive plant management plans developed using GIS-based models, WRA Landscape Restoration strategically controlled barbed goatgrass (Aegilops triuncialis) and artichoke thistle (Cynara cardunculus) to prevent them from invading valuable serpentine grasslands that provide critical habitat for populations of rare plant. Invasive plant control was implemented through manual removal and mechanical control. The team staff also collected and reported on field data including invasive plant population mapping, plant phenology, plant cover, and photo-monitoring, using the Avenza Maps application paired with Bluetooth GPS receivers.

Bayfront Wetland Habitat Restoration

Planting

WRA Landscape Restoration was hired to implement wetland habitat restoration at a 4.7-acre site along the bayfront in Alameda County. This project includes maintaining irrigation of native wetland plantings for the duration of the dry season, monitoring for and controlling invasive plant species, and replanting as necessary to meet success criteria. Invasive plant control consists of manual removal, mechanical treatment, and targeted chemical application. WRA Landscape Restoration will continue to maintain the site through 2023 to ensure continued establishment of the native ecosystem.

Doolan Canyon Site Maintenance

Invasive Plant Management

WRA Landscape Restoration was hired to provide maintenance of this habitat mitigation site in the Doolan Canyon area of Alameda County, which is sensitive habitat for the federally endangered California tiger salamander. The team provides invasive plant control, debris removal, and maintenance of physical infrastructure to prevent human incursion into the site.

Oak Knoll Mixed-Use Community Development

Fuel Reduction

WRA provides a suite of services for the redevelopment of the 183-acre former Oak Knoll Naval Hospital, located in Oakland, including biological, permitting, restoration design, and compliance monitoring. WRA Landscape Restoration leads fuel reduction and invasive plant removal efforts at the site, which includes the restoration of a 2.5-acre oak woodland preserve that abuts Rifle Range Creek. In the first year of vegetation management, the restoration crew removed a dense understory of mixed-aged French Broom (Genista monspessulana), which posed a ladder fuel risk to a grove of old-growth Coast Live Oaks. Manual methods included a combination of hand pulling and weed wrenches to remove the broom stands and mitigate this risk to the environment and community.

Open Space Vegetation Management & Fire Safety

Fuel Reduction

Working in wildland open space areas containing habitats of native flora and fauna, this project included the mowing of 14 acres of grasslands around a Contra Costa County residential community for the creation of defensible space and reduction of fuel loads. This wild-urban-interface area also serves as an important public resource, with hiking trails that adjoin the property line and project boundary. Using fire-safe tools and work practices, care was taken to minimize damage to biological resources through selectively mowing around native species.

Chipps Island Tidal Habitat Restoration Project

Invasive Plant Management

WRA Landscape Restoration was hired in partnership with Dixon Marine Services to enhance and restore tidal wetlands for the benefit of native fish and wildlife at Chipps Island in Solano County. The team removed invasive plants, including common reed (Phragmites australis), giant reed (Arundo donax), and pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium) using a combination of management methods. Using a fleet of brushcutters, WRA Landscape Restoration removed vegetation along more than 1,500 feet of levee tops. Following manual removal, the crew applied herbicide via tank and backpack sprayers to spot-target remaining invasive plants.

Ridge Top Ranch Wildlife Conservation Bank

Invasive Plant Management

Ridge Top Ranch Wildlife Conservation Bank is a 750-acre cattle ranch located in southern Solano County, where WRA developed a project strategy to support the landowner’s goals and maximize the ecological value of the property. The property is now an approved wildlife conservation bank providing mitigation credits for two federally listed wildlife species: California red-legged frog and Callippe silverspot butterfly. As part of the project, WRA Landscape Restoration strategically controls artichoke thistle (Cynara cardunculus), yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis), and distaff thistle (Carthamus lanatus) through targeted chemical application. By reducing the cover of invasive plants, critical habitat, and movement corridors were restored to support the listed species habitat.

Napa River Rehabilitation Project

Planting

WRA Landscape Restoration was hired to implement a habitat mitigation and monitoring plan along the Napa River area in Napa County. Native plant revegetation and invasive plant control are implemented at this wetland site, which is sensitive habitat for the federally listed salt marsh harvest mouse. The team worked with a local native plant nursery to collect seed onsite and installed 1,700 wetland plants to support native mouse habitat. Invasive plant control consists of manual removal, mechanical treatment, and targeted chemical application. WRA Landscape Restoration will continue to maintain the site for five years to ensure continued success and establishment of the native ecosystem.

Suisan Valley Post-Fire Restoration Services

Planting

WRA Landscape Restoration partnered with the California Land Stewardship Institute and Fish Friendly Farming to provide post-fire restoration services for a vineyard in the Suisan Valley area of Napa County. This project involved planting native trees within a riparian corridor to support revegetation efforts. The crew utilized coco coir weed mats to increase the saplings’ survival rate and implemented willow sprigs to aid in riparian bank stabilization. Reforesting the site creates vital habitat on land, and preventing erosion ensures that aquatic habitats are protected as well.

Lagoon Valley Blue Elderberry Transplantation

Planting

As authorized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, WRA Landscape Restoration led the transplanting effort of several mature Blue Elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. cerulea) trees at a site located in the Lagoon Valley area of Solano County. Transplanting was implemented in order to preserve riparian corridors onsite and ensure the tree's longevity. S. nigra is a known host to the endangered valley elderberry longhorn beetle. The team will maintain irrigation for the trees throughout the dry season to support the continued presence of this federally listed species at the project site.

Sacramento Valley Planting

Planting

WRA was hired to design a native privacy hedgerow in the Sacramento Valley. In the fall season, Landscape Restoration revised the planting plan, carried out irrigation repairs, and replanted along several miles of fence line. The team then returned the following spring to help provide maintenance to the irrigation system and control weeds around the establishing woody plants including Rosa californica, Aesculcus californica, Heteromeles californica, Frangula californica, and Rhamnus ilicifolia.

Mount Veeder Napa Post Fire Restoration

Planting

A great example of WRA’s holistic approach to post-fire restoration, this project involved planting native redwood trees along the Napa Ridge to support a post-fire recovery effort. WRA Landscape Restoration technicians utilized browsing cages to increase the saplings’ survival rate and implemented willow sprigs to aid in riparian bank stabilization. Reforesting the site creates vital habitat on land, and preventing erosion ensures that aquatic habitats are protected as well.

Glen Ellen Fire Resiliency

Fuel Reduction

WRA Landscape Restoration led a fire-resiliency effort in Sonoma County to clear a dense patch of invasive French broom (Genista monspessulana) that had overtaken an oak understory. These tall, woody shrubs act as ladder fuels throughout the fire season, becoming a tool for fire to climb up into the oak canopy, which further exacerbates the severity of these fire events. Utilizing hand tools, the restoration technicians manually removed the French broom, clearing out the oak woodland understory with hopes of native revegetation while promoting fire resiliency.

Petaluma River Wetland Restoration

Planting

WRA was hired to design and implement this mitigated wetland habitat restoration site along the Petaluma River in Sonoma County. WRA Landscape Restoration was brought in to stabilize streambanks following a bank failure due to an atmospheric river event in the winter of 2021-22. Bioengineered techniques include soil lifts lined with willow stakes which were used to anchor the toe of the bank. The eroded banks were then graded and seeded with perennial grasses including Hordeum brachyantherum, Elymus glaucus, and Elymus triticoides. The grass seed was covered with sterilized rice straw and final grades were lined with a combination of biodegradable coco fiber, coco coir, and jute BMP's.

California Tiger Salamander Pit Fall Traps and Drift Fencing Installation

Wildlife Mitigation

As part of an effort to monitor the presence of the endangered California Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma californiense), WRA Landscape Restoration was hired to install nearly 500 pitfall traps and 10,000 linear feet of silt fencing. The crew used wide a variety of specialized equipment including an excavator mounted with auger drills and a tractor mounted with a trencher in areas with compacted or rocky soils to carry out this scope of work on time and within budget.

Glass Mountain Post-Fire Restoration

Planting

WRA Landscape Restoration partnered with the California Land Stewardship Institute and Fish Friendly Farming to provide post-fire restoration services for a vineyard in the Glass Mountain area of Napa County. This project involved planting native trees within a riparian corridor to support creek revegetation efforts. The crew utilized coco coir weed mats to increase the saplings’ survival rate and implemented willow sprigs to aid in riparian bank stabilization. Reforesting the site creates vital habitat on land, and preventing erosion ensures that aquatic habitats are protected as well.

Wildland Ladder Fuel Reduction Services

Fuel Reduction

In partnership with the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, WRA Landscape Restoration is performing 65 acres of thinning within mixed oak and coniferous forests on Saddle Mountain Preserve located in eastern Santa Rosa. Forest stands were moderately to severely burned by the 2020 Glass Fire in Sonoma County. The team is following best management plans for ladder fuel reduction work to reduce hazard fuels through removing standing dead understory saplings and intermediate trees less than 8" DBH and dead limbs below 10' in height. The fuel is then staged in 4'w x 4'h piles positioned on even slopes and away from living woody plants for fall burning.

Napa/Sonoma Mayacamas Ridge Post-Fire Recovery

Fuel Reduction

WRA Landscape Restoration planned and conducted a 20-acre shaded fuel break for a privately owned post-fire site on the Napa/Sonoma Mayacamas Ridge. Work included removing dead-standing material and selectively thinning vegetation to decrease the threat of flammability for areas surrounding structures and ingress egress routes. In addition to the fuel work, the team is also controlling emergent invasive species populations and replanting 300 native hardwood trees to help provide aesthetic appeal and habitat while creating a more fire-resilient landscape.

Wohler Road Bridge at Mark West Creek Mitigation Planting & Monitoring Project

Planting

In an effort to mitigate vegetation removal impacts resulting from bridge construction in Sonoma County, WRA Landscape Restoration was hired to remove invasive species and install native plants within the bridge replacement site. This project included the manual removal of invasive Himalayan blackberry (Rubus armeniacus), wild radish (Raphanus sativus), and yellow star-thistle (Centaurea solstitialis). Following removal, the crew planted over 200 native plants and installed plant protections. Additionally, the crew conducts regular watering, weeding, monitoring, and reporting of all plantings over a five-year period.

Hauser Bridge Road Mitigation Planting & Monitoring

Planting

This project for the Sonoma Infrastructure aims to mitigate vegetation removal impacts resulting from bridge construction. WRA Landscape Restoration developed the planting design and led the implementation of the installation of 150 native plants with full plant protection within the bridge replacement site. This project included the installation of jute netting BMP's to provide bank stabilization along the bank of the Gualala River. Additionally, the crew conducts regular watering, weeding, monitoring, and reporting of all plantings over a five-year period.

Point Reyes Invasive Plant Control

Invasive Plant Management

Point Reyes National Seashore Association contracted WRA Landscape Restoration in conjunction with ecologists from Point Reyes National Seashore to aid in the stewardship of sensitive dune habitat that supports the threatened snowy plovers (Charadrius nivosus). Targeted chemical application was implemented to control invasive plants on the site, which are encroaching on the habitat of C. nivosus and several rare plant species including the tidestrom lupine (Lupinus tidestromii).