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Ecological reuse returns polluted or otherwise disturbed lands to a functioning and sustainable use by increasing or improving habitat for plants and animals. "Ecological land reuse" is a broad term that encompasses a number of interrelated activities including the reconstruction of antecedent physical conditions, chemical adjustment of the soil and water, and biological manipulation which includes the reintroduction of native flora and fauna.

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Educational Programs Offerred at the 2025 National Brownfields Training Conference

The 2025 National Brownfields Training Conference, held August 2025 in Chicago, Illinois, featured several educational programs and training workshops on diverse topics such as land revitalization, use of geospatial and AI technologies in redevelopment, and ecological reuse of urban areas.

Podcast Discusses Economic Value of Trees

The How Much is a Tree Worth? Episode of Resources Radio, a podcast by the nonprofit organization Resources for the Future, discusses a recent study that assesses the economic value of trees, based on how tree mortality shapes property values, air quality, wildfire risk, and more. The hosts also discuss an ongoing project, which uses photographs taken by British aircraft during the twentieth century to approximate modern satellite imagery and estimate how environmental resources in Africa have changed over time.

The Natural Areas as Seeds for Restoration: The Arkansas Native Seed Program Webinar

The Natural Areas Association (NAA) will host a webinar titled Natural Areas as Seeds for Restoration: The Arkansas Native Seed Program. The Arkansas Native Seed Program, a collaborative effort of several state, federal, and private conservation partners led by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, seeks to address issues surrounding the availability of locally sourced native plant seeds and plant materials for public and private revegetation and restoration projects in Arkansas. The program has convened ecologists and biologists to determine demand for seed, delineate appropriate seed zones, compile target species lists of high value species for collection, and identify appropriate plant community remnants from which to collect seed. The webinar will take place on August 18, 2020, from 12:00pm-1:00pm EDT. The event is free of charge and open to the public. For more registration and to register, please visit the NAA's event registration website.

National Academies to Study the Nation's Seed Supply

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) are pleased to announce the appointment of the provisional committee for the new study An Assessment of Native Seed Needs and Capacities. The objective of this study is to plan and implement an assessment of federal, state, tribal, and private sector native seed needs and capacity to meet those needs. This effort will address the first two objectives under the National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration on a national level:

Objective 1.1: Assess the Seed Needs of Federal Agencies and the Capacity of Private and Federal Producers.
Objective 1.2: Assess Capacity and Needs of Tribes, States, Private Sector Seed Producers, Nurseries, and Other Partners.

Why restore disturbed or contaminated lands?

Habitat preservation is key to an ecosystem's health and well-being, and there is a growing awareness that restoration is essential to recover ecosystems that have been degraded or destroyed. Furthermore, contaminated or disturbed sites that have been restored are once again available for public use and enjoyment

The public's interest in the renewal of natural ecosystems has grown steadily during the past few decades. EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Program assists communities in returning some of the nation's worst hazardous waste sites to safe and productive uses. While the Agency works to protect human health and the environment, EPA also works with communities and other partners to consider future uses for restored Superfund sites. Many sites are now being used as parkland, agricultural land, residences and commercial space.

Ecological reuse can be incorporated into site remediation plans for Superfund sites because it provides habitat for wildlife and is not considered beautification or enhancement. Returning contaminated sites to beneficial use not only allows local communities to reclaim lost land – it can also lead to increased property values, a higher tax base, and protected open space. In addition, when local interests have a stake in the revitalized property, the chances are greater for continued productive use.

Benefits of Ecological Land Reuse

Provides wildlife habitat
Sequesters carbon
Remediates and beneficially reuses damaged lands
Improves property values
Improves image
Reduces wind and water erosion of contaminants
Protects water resources
Creates green spaces and corridors
Improves the community by removing stigma associated with prior waste sites

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Bayou Verdine

At the Bayou Verdine site in Calcasieu Estuary, West Lake, Louisiana, decades of contaminants from heavy industry, refinery operations, and stormwater runoff built up in the sediments and surface water. EPA identified high levels of metals and hazardous chemicals at the site and began cleanup in 2012. The cleanup included removing contaminated sediments and restoring parts of the bayou shoreline. It also included actions to improve the ecological function of the area. Removal of sediments from a pond created an open-water riparian habitat. EPA and its partners connected the pond to the wetland environment of Bayou Verdine through a drainage bioswale designed to reduce erosion and provide more wildlife and fish habitat. Parties also seeded areas with native wildflowers to create a pollinator habitat.

Bayou Verdine Case Study

Lower Darby Creek Area

The Lower Darby Creek Area Superfund site along Darby and Cobbs Creeks in Pennsylvania includes two landfills that were active from the 1950s to 1970s. The landfills accepted municipal, demolition and hospital wastes. The landfills likely affected creeks and wetlands through surface erosion, runoff and seeps, contributing to site contamination. EPA's cleanup of the site involved excavation and disposal of contaminated waste and cleanup and remediation of residential yards. Cleanup actions also included using natural features to reinforce the shoreline, providing improved habitat along the streambank. The cleanup included 16 acres of municipal park and open space and over 4,000 feet of streambank. Cleanup is ongoing at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, a 1000-acre national wildlife refuge managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Lower Darby Creek Area Case Study

Croydon TCE

The Croydon TCE Superfund site covers 3.5 square miles between the townships of Croydon and Bristol in Pennsylvania. In 1985, EPA found contamination at the site after an investigation at a neighboring industrial plant discovered groundwater contamination. Contaminants like trichloroethylene were detected in the groundwater and surface water. No source of the contamination was found. EPA began cleanup of the site in 1987, which included installing a groundwater treatment system and connecting homes impacted by the groundwater contamination to the public water supply. Cleanup is ongoing at the site. In 2016, the Heritage Conversancy gained ownership of the site and three years later opened the Croydon Woods Nature Preserve on the site, one of the last remaining coastal plain forests in the state. In 2019, EPA presented the Heritage Conservancy with its Excellence in Site Reuse Award for outstanding work in the reuse that turned a formerly contaminated forest into a nature preserve.

Croydon TCE Case Study

Why are ecosystems important to ecological land reuse?

Project managers seeking to return a contaminated site to a safe and productive use should look not only to the future of the site; but also consider its past structure and function by looking at the site as an ecosystem – a dynamic environment of living organisms and non-living matter intricately connected by energy and nutrient flows.

Many reuse projects focus solely on manipulating certain elements, such as soil, vegetation, and hydrology, with little attention paid to the links between these and the broader landscape and biosphere. Such actions may not necessarily address all of the ecosystem's needs. Other living organisms, such as insects, wildlife, and microorganisms also form an integral part of the system and must be accounted for, if possible, for the system to flourish. For example: many of the native flowering plant species in the United States rely on bees, hummingbirds or other pollinators to help them reproduce and disperse across the landscape. The flowers and the hummingbird have a symbiotic relationship that benefits them both – the flower produces nectar that the hummingbird feeds on, and the hummingbird carries pollen from one flower to the next, allowing it to reproduce. If a degraded site is repopulated with native wildflowers, but no pollinators are introduced into the site, the native plants may die out and be replaced by invasive species. In order to maintain desired levels of native plant diversity, the restoration and reuse process therefore must ensure that an adequate level of pollinator species is present.

Ecosystem-based reuse can be an important aspect of many remediation projects. If the goal is to return a site to a close approximation of its natural, pre-disturbance state, then an ecosystem-based approach is essential. This approach will ensure that the newly restored site once again becomes an integral part of its environment. More information can be found here: Climate Change and Ecosystems.