Shoreline - Steps to Restore

Naturalizing your shoreland can be as simple or complex as you choose. Follow these four steps to plan your shoreline improvements.

• Start by making a sketch of your property. Include buildings, decks or patios, lawn, trees, paths, dock, and swim area. Note the ways you use your property now and how you would like to use it in the future. You may decide to relocate your dock or reduce the size of the beach. On the sketch indicate the areas you'd like to naturalize. Remember that a larger natural area offers more benefits to the lake environment.
• After you have outlined the area you want to naturalize, identify the 3 shoreland zones within the area.


• The aquatic zone is under water all year.
• The wet transition zone may be seasonally flooded.
• The upland zone is rarely flooded.

Mark these 3 main zones on your sketch. Which plants will be successful depends on the shoreland zone, the ecological zone, the type of soil and the amount of sunlight your property receives.

• The third step is preparing the site. If invasive exotic plants, such as purple loosestrife or reed canary grass, are present they need to be controlled. Local natural resource professionals can help you figure out how to control or eradicate them. You may also need to kill turf to minimize competition with the native plants you will be installing, move docks, realign paths, or grade slopes.
• The final step is getting native plants established. One option for revegetation is to do nothing. If you stop mowing, weeding, and raking your shoreline area, many native plants may grow back from seeds that still exist in the soil. To accelerate the naturalizing process or to feature particular plants, your best option is to plant seedlings. Select appropriate plants native to your area for each of the shoreland zones. Before installing aquatic and wet transition plants, obtain a no-fee permit from the DNR.

Links:
Shoreland
Shoreland Management
Why Natural?
Choosing Native Plants
Options for Naturalizing Your Shoreline