HABITAT RESTORATION

ACE Provides a Range of Habitat Restoration Services

Complex Restoration & Stewardship Support

American Conservation Experience (ACE) provides field-ready conservation crews and restoration specialists who help land management agencies complete technically demanding projects across diverse landscapes and conditions. 

For more than 20 years, ACE has partnered with federal agencies and conservation organizations nationwide to deliver scalable support for restoration, fuels mitigation, trail systems, watershed recovery, and habitat resilience efforts. 

Our crews and technical specialists support projects that require adaptability, efficiency, and strong collaboration with interdisciplinary teams including ecologists, hydrologists, recreation managers, engineers, and fire professionals.

Specialized Project Capabilities

• Road-to-trail conversion
  Converting redundant or degraded road systems into sustainable recreational trail corridors while improving drainage, reducing erosion, and restoring surrounding habitat.
• Trail naturalization & rehabilitation
  Decommissioning user-created or unsustainable trails through recontouring, revegetation, erosion control, and site stabilization techniques.
• Fuels reduction & wildfire mitigation
  Supporting hazardous fuels reduction through hand thinning, piling, slash management, chainsaw operations, and post-treatment stabilization work. ACE crews also support prescribed fire operations and wildfire recovery initiatives.
• Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER)
  Assisting with post-fire recovery projects involving erosion mitigation, drainage armoring, slope stabilization, check dam installation, and watershed rehabilitation to protect infrastructure and natural resources following wildfire events.
• Low-tech process-based stream restoration
  Implementing restoration strategies designed to reconnect floodplains, improve hydrologic function, and enhance habitat resilience using:
  –Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs)
  –Post-Assisted Log Structures (PALS)
  –Willow stake installation and native planting
  –Channel shaping and stabilization
• Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration (LTPBR) structures
  Supporting watershed-scale restoration projects through installation of low-tech structures that slow water, reduce erosion, capture sediment, and improve riparian ecosystem function.

A Trusted Conservation Partner

ACE recruits, trains, and mobilizes more than 1,000 conservation participants annually to support public lands across the country. Our crews operate in frontcountry and backcountry environments and are supported by experienced field leadership, technical specialists, and project management staff.

Whether supporting watershed recovery after wildfire, restoring riparian systems, or improving long-term recreation sustainability, ACE provides flexible, mission-driven support tailored to your objectives, timelines, and terrain.

Let’s build resilient landscapes together.

To discuss project partnerships or technical restoration support, contact us at partnership@usaconservation.org.