Kinsman Swamp Restoration Project

Project Description

On approximately 36 acres of protected land in Kinsman, Ohio, decades of agricultural use had flattened natural topography and ditched and drained the site leading to a disconnected landscape with an increased nutrient loading to the Pymatuning Creek watershed. In coordination with Trumbull County MetroParks, West Creek Conservancy (WCC) sought to restore the natural landform and bring functional hydrology, habitat, and connectivity back to the area.

On a design-build team with contractors Meadville Land Service, Biohabitats removed modifications put in place for agricultural purposes and restored natural hydrology to the site. This included adding wattle structures in agricultural ditches to allow them to fill in over time and push flow onto the floodplain, and daylighting any drain tiles located during earthwork excavation. The project team added hummock and hollow grading to the landscape to simulate natural varied forest topography, and vernal pools to not only create wetland, but to expand an existing Category III forested wetland complex on site. The site was revegetated with native trees and shrubs, restoring wetland, meadow, wet meadow, upland buffer, and forested habitat.

Before construction, 16 moth species new to Trumbull County and at least two State-Species-of-Concern were documented on the project site: Black-Tipped Darner dragonfly (Aeshna tuberculifera), and the Red-Headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus), by naturalist Judy Semroc. The Kinsman Swamp Restoration benefited these rare species and many others, while restoring landscape connectivity and reducing nutrient loads to the Pymatuning Creek watershed and ultimately, the Shenango River.