The Green Edge: How Commercial Property Investment in a Bio-diverse Landscape Creates Value

A meadow is born at a Poconos resort. Within a few weeks of planting, native grasses and wildflowers are in full bloom, providing forage and habitat for pollinators and wildlife. Meadows are part of Strauser’s ecosystem approach to managing a high-functioning, biodiverse landscape, providing collective improvements to soil, water, and air quality. (Check out what it looked like before in the image below).

Sustainable landscape practices can create measurable bottom line benefits for commercial property managers seeking to increase property values and reduce costs.

Positive improvements we can help you begin now:

1. Retrofit to high-performance water management and measurement systems and smart, water-efficient irrigation technology.
2. Increase tree cover, shade, pedestrian-friendly zones.
3. Restore wetland habitats and streamline and regenerate buffer zones.
4. Renovate lawn retention basins with attractive vegetation and recreation opportunities.
5. Install green roofs and rain gardens.
6. Make the best use of landscape resources to meet environmental certification programs such as LEED, Energy Star or Sustainable Sites.
7. Improve ground water quality, reduce erosion and stormwater runoff, and control water bills with rainwater harvesting, cisterns and rain barrels, and drainage bioswales.
8. Use a variety of site-specific permeable pavement options, including improved performance technologies for concrete and recycled asphalt materials, and natural stone options, to enhance groundwater conditions, improve soil infiltration, and reduce lower annual maintenance costs.
9. Replace underutilized turf areas with wildlife-friendly perennial meadow plantings.
10. Reduce fossil fuel requirements and reduce cost by using renewable energy and alternative power solutions to propel equipment.
11. Encourage biodiversity with native or naturalized grasses, such as switchgrass, coneflowers and wild bergamot, to inhibit weed formation, attract beneficial insects and pollinators, and provide forage and habitat for songbirds, honeybees, migrating waterfowl, butterflies and woodland wildlife.
12. Enrich soil health through increased soil-dwelling organisms, composted mulch, and organic alternatives to chemical solutions.
13. Increase the use of natural predators through integrated pest management; use organic alternatives for lawn care, and reduce herbicide and pesticide use to increase natural fertility.
14. Implement resource-efficient processes to better use water, energy, building materials and greener solutions, overall.

Being eco-responsible makes good financial sense. The economic impacts of a greener landscape can be measured in reduced life cycle costs—the planning design, installation, operation and maintenance, and replacement of plants, and improved productivity and workplace morale.

With peak upgrade season upon us, upgrading built landscaped areas and creating an interconnected network of natural systems is an investment that will deliver exponential value for property owners and managers, and benefit the environment for years to come.

To learn more about Strauser Nature’s Helpers role in designing and maintaining high-performing green landscapes, give us a call!