Habitat Restoration & Management of New England's Natural Areas

The photo above is of a managed phragmites stand on Martha's Vineyard's Black Point Pond two years into management. Look at those native saltmarsh species recolonizing the site. Out with the bad, in with the good. That's our motto.

Polatin Ecological Services, LLC 

For The Health of The Land


Polatin Ecological Services, LLC is a native landscape restoration company specializing in planning and implementing ecological restoration and land management projects. Our focus is on benefiting native New England biodiversity overall, with an emphasis on habitats of at-risk wildlife species. 

We work with landowners, non-profit conservation organizations, land trusts, municipalities, and federal/state agencies on small and landscape scale projects alike. We provide planning and support for our own projects and represent the interests, intention, and integrity for projects that require our expertise. 

Spring 2019 is in the air - time for many restoration activities such as planting, seeding, targeted invasive plant control and clearing/brushing/mowing.

Contact us at info@polatineco.com.com to get started.

Seasonal Cycle of Management Activities

Habitat management and invasive plant control activities are conducted each year at the optimal time for each species.
  • Seeding (April-May)
  • Tree/shrub planting (April-June)
  • Early herbaceous invasive plants such as garlic mustard (April/May)
  • Growing season woody invasive plant treatments (May-September)
  • Swallowwort (June & August)
  • Japanese knotweed and phragmites cutting/mowing (late May/early June)
  • Purple loosestrife (July)
  • Knapweeds (August)
  • Foliar spray applications to knotweed (August)
  • Japanese stiltgrass (August)
  • Phragmites foliar spray treatment (September)
  • Seeding and planting (September-November)
  • Dormant season woody invasive plant treatments- especially bittersweet (November-December)
  • Brush cutting/clearing/forest management (November-December/February-March)

News...

  • We are proud to be a sponsor for the 2016 Society for Ecological Restoration New England Chapter Regional Conference being held in Durham, NH October 14 & 15, 2016: http://chapter.ser.org/newengland/2016-regional-conference-overview/
  • Visit our exhibitor tables at the following conferences: Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions (MACC) Annual Environmental Conference, March 5, 2016 in Worcester, Massachusetts;  Mass Land Trust Coalition Conference, April 2, 2016 in Worcester, Massachusetts; Massachusetts Open Space Conference, TBA
  • Our multi-year invasive plant management project at Greylock Glen in Adams, MA (Berkshire County) has been completed. Please visit our project website for more information: www.greylockglenipm.info
  • Joan Deely presented Early Detection/Rapid Response: A Minute of Searching is Worth Years of Invasive Plant Management at Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commission's Fall Conference on 11/16/2013.
  • Chris and Joan presented a workshop on Early Detection and Rapid Response at the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions Annual Conference on March 2nd, 2013.
  • Two great spring 2012 workshops in were held in VT that presented Invasives Prevention and Management Training. DETAILS
  • Summer 2011: We contributed to a great publication called Best Management Practices for the Prevention and Treatment of Terrestrial Invasive Plants in Vermont Woodlands. Link. Credit goes to Redstart Forestry and TNC Vermont. We are thrilled to have been involved and want to suggest it to dedicated land stewards and landowners throughout New England.
  • Chris co-presented at Mass Land Trust Conference on 3/26/11 along with Russ Hopping (The Trustees of Reservations) and Tom Wansleben (Mt. Grace Land Conservation Trust). Presentation entitled: Restoring Ecological Integrity to Your Land in the Face of Climate Change.
  • PES expanding operations to the Berkshires. We're opening a field office in Pittsfield, MA in August 2010.
  • 5/22/2010 Chris co-presented with Julie Richburg (TTOR), Cynthia Boettner (USFWS), and Heather Cupo (Plant Euphoria) at workshop entitled Invasive Plants- The Green Thugs in Your Neighborhood. Highlands' Least-Wanted Invasive Plants Forum. Click Here for details.
  • 5/8/2010 Chris conducted presentation and walk featuring invasive plants to Timberland Owners of New England.
  • Chris co-presented with Seth Wilkinson of Wilkinson Ecological Design, Inc. at the Mass. Assoc. Conservation Commissions Annual Conference on February 27th, 2010. Using Invasive Plant Management & Bioengineering to Stabilize Sensitive Areas & Restore Ecosystems: LINK
  • 11/2/2009 Check out WFCR's Field Notes radio program interviewing forester Lincoln Fish regarding Oriental bittersweet management: http://www.wfcr.org/field_notes/
  • 11/7/2009 Chris presented Mass. Association Conservation Commission's Unit 8: Managing Conservation Land in Northampton, MA.
  • 8/8/2009 Chris leads invasive plant management workshop in Pelham, MA
  • 5/15/2009 We're set to co-present a daylong invasive plant management workshop at Hildene in Manchester, VT on June 30th. For more details click on the following link: http://www.bccdvt.org/Upcoming_Events.shtml
  • 2/5/2009 The Community Preservation Act is a viable way to fund land stewardship, habitat restoration, and invasives management. The City of Northampton, MA has granted the Broad Brook Coalition funds to manage common reed (Phragmites australis) in a freshwater marsh system just downstream from Fitzgerald Lake. PES will perform the work.
  • 2/2/2009 We bought the farm! PES Headquarters moving to agricultural village of Gill, MA. We cannot imagine a better place than the Blake Farm to base our operations and keep us inspired. Fields, shrublands, forest, & wetlands abound. The property has a conservation restriction on approx. 90 acres held by the Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust. We look forward to partnering with Mount Grace to be good stewards to this wonderful landscape.