LAND MANAGEMENT

Surface waters like lakes, rivers and streams are complex ecosystems that provide a number of benefits such as drinking water supplies, flood control, electricity, food and habitat for wildlife, recreational opportunities, and commercial benefits for industries. Changes in land-use and land cover within the watershed often change the hydrology of an area leading to flooding, destruction of aquatic habitats, water quality impacts, and property damage. Many waterfront residents are directly impacted and experience rapid erosion and sedimentation.

The biologists at Cason & Associates, servicing Wisconsin, Upper Peninsula of Michigan, & Nothern Illinois, understand the unique dynamics of surface water ecosystems and have the tools necessary to develop restoration plans unique to each situation. Restoration plans are developed around a thorough understanding of factors that affect the water body, as well as local resources that may be affected by changes occurring at the restoration site.

Cason & Associates offers:

• Restoration plan development

• Plan implementation and project coordination

• Shoreline stabilization

• Channel manipulation

• Removing invasive species

• Re-Introducing native species

Cason & Associates uses a variety of techniques to create a natural habitat where fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects and plants can flourish.

The success of any restoration project depends largely on the education and experience of those involved in planning and implementing it. Cason & Associates employs only degreed biologists and puts an emphasis on continuing education to ensure knowledge of the most up-to-date methods and techniques.

Did you know that fires historically took place every 2-4 years on Wisconsin landscapes? In fact, most of our endangered ecosystems are fire dependent. Many people look at fire as a negative, when in truth, fires in natural landscapes create a disturbance that rejuvenates the land.

In our current culture, when people think of fires, they think of the raging wildfires that pose threats to structures and life. When managing ecosystems with fire, we refer to controlled and prescribed burns. These fires burn and disturb the landscape, but several precautions are taken to ensure the fire only occurs in the prescribed area, is unable to leave the containment zone, both people and equipment are on hand to keep the fire under control and that the weather conditions are ideal for maintaining a controlled burn.

Prescribed burns, in combination with forestry mowing and herbicide application, can shift systems like forests and prairies that previously required a lot of hands on maintenance, to one of a more “turn key” approach that requires significantly reduced maintenance. Re-establishing historic disturbance regimes, or at least getting as close as we can, will allow for nature to take its course much more efficiently. Many of the problems we face managing lands today is simply the result of land being left without proper management practices and/or disturbance.

Cason & Associates offers our service areas of Wisconsin, Upper Michigan Peninsula, Northern Illinois, the follow services in regards to controlled burns:

• Controlled burn consultations where one of our biologists will determine if prescribed burns would benefit your property and the goals you have for your property.

• Burn plans would then be created specifically for your property outlining burn areas, what preparations need to be done on the land prior to burning, what is to be done with the land after burning and burn frequency.

• Burn preparations, including installing fire breaks and reducing fuels to control the fire, would then occur.

Cason & Associates does not currently conduct the actual burn, but our staff have prepared and participated in prescribed burns for government agencies throughout the country.