Ecological Restoration Case Studies

Seven Springs Mitigation

The Seven Springs Mitigation Project is located in Wayne County, approximately 2 miles from Seven Springs, NC off SR 1730. The wetland restoration was completed on a 26.69-acre prior converted (PC) agricultural field. The project was designed to establish a mitigation project for offsetting unavoidable bottomland hardwood (BLH) and swamp hardwood (SH) wetland losses due to highway construction adjacent to the Neuse River.

The Restoration Plan was implemented in the Spring of 1993, which included tree planting and hydrological modifications that allowed wetland functions to revert to pre-agricultural conditions (Photo 1, 2, 3). The restored and preserved forested wetlands include true SH (obligate wetland community types) and mixed BLH including mast-producing hardwoods (facultative wet community types).

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) contracted to purchase all credits from this project in 1995. Completion of the transaction occurred in February 1996. The Seven Springs Wetland Mitigation Project was the first successful turnkey projects built in North Carolina.

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