Ecological Restoration Projects
Explore mine reclamation, slope, shoreline and wetland work across western Canada.
Polster Environmental’s experience includes restoration planning, field implementation and vegetation assessment. These examples show the conditions encountered, the treatments used and what follow-up visits revealed.
Shorelines and Streambanks
Bank and shoreline treatments combine live plant material with surface preparation and protection suited to water levels, wave action and erosion.
Slopes and Mine Sites
Disturbed slopes, road cuts and reclaimed mine land often need surface preparation and planting to help vegetation establish.
Wetlands and Riparian Zones
Wetland restoration responds to flooding, saturated soils and competing vegetation when selecting native plants and treatment methods.
Selected Restoration Projects
For mine and industrial work, explore Brenda Mine, Battle Lake, Island Copper and Butler Bros. See approaches to preparing disturbed ground, establishing vegetation and assessing its development.
Interior British Columbia · 2012–2016 · Rough and Loose + Live Staking
Brenda Mine, Biodiversity Enhancement
PES provided senior review and direction for vegetation enhancements at Brenda Mine. The work included rough and loose surface preparation, live staking, brush piles and nest boxes, with photographs showing subsequent vegetation development.
Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island · Intertidal substrate + riparian vegetation
Cowichan Bay Shoreline Repair
Shoreline restoration by the Cowichan Community Land Trust addressed industrial disturbance to the intertidal area. The source presentation shows substrate placement and riparian planting to restore shoreline habitat.
Northern Vancouver Island · reclamation assessment and long-term monitoring
Island Copper Mine Reclamation
PES assessed vegetation on reclaimed mine land, including red alder growth, competition from seeded grasses and legumes, and the development of canopy cover.
British Columbia · 2016 installation · Monitored through 2018
Juniper Place Landslide Restoration
Soil bioengineering treatments were installed on a steep landslide with active seepage and compacted soils in spring 2016. Follow-up photographs show vegetation development through 2018.
Germaine Creek, Klondike River, Yukon · Placer mining reclamation · 2004–2018
Live Gravel Bar Staking, Klondike River, Yukon
Cuttings were collected and installed at Germaine Creek in fall 2004. Photographs through 2018 show sediment deposition, woody debris and vegetation developing on the gravel bars.
San Juan River, Vancouver Island · 1998–2014 observations · First-year sediment estimate
Live Gravel Bar Staking, San Juan River, BC
Cuttings were installed in March 1998. David Polster’s source presentation estimates 80,000 cubic metres of sediment collected in the first year; later photographs follow succession and Sitka spruce establishing under the canopy by 2014.
UBC Campus slopes, Vancouver · Brush mattress + wattle fencing
Live Pole Blanket, UBC Slopes Piping Failure
Brush mattress and wattle fence treatments were used on UBC slopes affected by piping. Photographs show installation, emerging growth and later vegetation.
Seaton River, British Columbia · Rocky talus · 2002–2014
Pocket and Joint Planting, Seaton River, BC
Pocket and joint planting placed native plants in gaps within rocky talus and fractured rock. Photographs from 2002 to 2014 show vegetation developing at the Seaton River site.
Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island · February–April 2020
Qualicum Beach Slide Restoration
Live staking and wattle fencing were installed across a bare slide scar from February to April 2020. Work progressed from the base upward over six weeks ahead of the growing season.
Cowichan River, BC · 2001 installation · Monitored through 2018
Stoltz Bluffs, Cowichan River Slope Bioengineering
A small area of the Stoltz Bluffs slope was treated in 2001. Photographs through 2018 show vegetation growth in the treated area alongside continuing slumping nearby.
Powers Creek delta, Okanagan Lake, West Kelowna · Riparian restoration
West Kelowna, Powers Creek Delta Erosion
At the Powers Creek delta, wave erosion and loss of riparian forest prompted an assessment of the bank treatments. The proposed approach used willows and cottonwood to re-establish vegetation along the lake edge.
Gravel Pit, British Columbia · Rough and Loose + Live Staking
Butler Bros Gravel-Pit Slope Restoration
A regraded gravel-pit slope received rough and loose surface preparation, woody debris, live staking and browsing protection. Follow-up photographs show plant establishment from 2014 onward.
Industrial, Shoreline and Landslide Restoration
Explore installation and follow-up photographs from David Polster’s field records.
Battle Lake Gas Plant Site Restoration
PES inspected this former gas plant site and recommended vegetation management. The case follows rough and loose surface preparation, dormant woody cuttings and the development of young forest.
Bamberton Shoreline Restoration
Shoreline repair used cobble, large wood, beach vegetation and live planting. Follow-up visits documented winter-storm conditions and a local constraint at the boat ramp.
Johnson's Landing Landslide Revegetation
Community-supported revegetation covered the accessible landslide deposition area, with remote seeding used in the hazardous upper zone.
Shoreline and Wetland Projects
North Pender Island, BC · 2024–2025 · Green Shores
Pender Island Shoreline Restoration
Work on a failing North Pender Island shoreline used the Green Shores approach, including slope regrading, beach logs and live staking to support a vegetated shore.
Thetis Island, Gulf Islands · Completed May 2026
Clam Bay, Thetis Island
Completed shoreline restoration with live stakes, native planting, mulch, and irrigation. May 2026 photographs document the installed work on this dry, south-facing Gulf Islands site.
Interior British Columbia · multi-year wetland restoration · follow-up through 2026
VBNWA Floodplain Wetland Restoration
A multi-year floodplain restoration program managed invasive reed canary grass and established native vegetation in mapped treatment areas.
DATED FIELD RECORD · 2013–2024
Colquitz Creek
See installation and early growth alongside a November 2024 photograph of established woody vegetation.
View the project →Field Videos and Technical Resources
See restoration methods in use and explore the technical guidance behind them.
British Columbia field footage
Rough and Loose and Live Staking in the Field
Watch rough and loose surface preparation and live staking on the Butler Bros gravel-pit slope.
Legacy riparian field footage
Riparian Restoration in the Field
See living bank treatments and riparian planting in field footage from earlier restoration work.
Highway and corridor examples
Highway Living Systems in the Field
Explore wattle fences and live reinforced earth walls used beside transportation corridors and creeks.
Brenda Mine · presentation-derived notes
Vegetation and Habitat at Brenda Mine
David Polster’s Brenda Mine presentation explains rough and loose surface preparation, live staking and features used to support vegetation and habitat on disturbed ground.
Yukon highway vegetation management
Natural Successional Processes for Yukon Corridor Management
Learn how vegetation succession affects roadside forage and cover, and why repeated clearing can renew the conditions attracting wildlife.
Ecological reserve restoration
Fort Shephard Ecological Restoration
Explore rough and loose treatment of trails disturbed by off-road vehicles, with photographs of seedling establishment and live-staking growth.
Corridor and creek-side guidance
Highway Bioengineering Examples and Lessons
Explore wattle fencing at Bowker Creek and live reinforced earth wall examples, with photographs showing installation and subsequent vegetation growth.
Dated creek-corridor sequence
Bowker Creek Bank Restoration
Photographs from 2005 to 2007 show wattle fences supporting organic soils and vegetation developing along Bowker Creek.
Structural living systems
Live Reinforced Earth Walls
Learn how live reinforced earth walls combine structural support with plant cuttings, and how vegetation develops on the slope face.
Changes Over Time
Dated photographs show vegetation and site conditions at successive visits. The available follow-up varies by project.
Treatments Used Together
Live staking, wattle fencing, brush mattresses and other methods can address different needs within the same site.
Planning for Your Site
Compare the examples with your soil, water, access and vegetation conditions when discussing suitable restoration methods.
Discuss Your Site with PES
Tell us where the site is, what needs restoring and when the work is planned. Polster Environmental can help identify the assessment and restoration support your project needs.