Lakescaping, Dr. Rebecca Schneider, click here. - Occainfo.org

Lakescaping: 

WHYs and HOW-TOs 

27 June 2012 

Otsego Co. Planning Dept. 

Rebecca Schneider 

Dept. Natural Resources 

Cornell University 

with materials from 

Jamie Vanucchi 

Dept. Landscape Architecture 

SUNY- ESF

TALK OUTLINE 

• Goals 

• Plant Communities of Healthy Lakeshores 

• Processes and Ecosystem Services 

• Human Impacts to Lakeshores 

• Creating a Healthy, Attractive Lakeshore 

• Step 1: Planning 

• Step 2: Site Preparation 

• Step 3: Planting 

• Step 4: Maintenance 

• Case Study: Chautauqua Lake Shoreline

Goals 

• Increase awareness of the benefits of good 

shoreline management. 

• Provide overview of the steps for creating 

a healthy lakeshore. 

• Improve the health and appearance of 

New York’s lake shorelines 

Why Healthy Lakeshores are Important 

The key to successful lakescaping is understanding 

what a healthy 

shoreline ecosystem is and 

how it functions.

Plant Communities in Healthy, Natural Lake Shorelines 

Lakeshore buffers include a diverse 

mixture of native trees, shrubs, 

herbaceous, and aquatic plants which 

have their roots in a rich soil matrix, 

and are in close contact with groundwater.

Shorelines are naturally dynamic! 

Different types of plants have adaptations to deal with 

the average and extreme hydrologic conditions 

that they will experience.

DISTANCE (M) 

Hydrologic regime 

in coastal plain 

Pond wetlands, Long Island, 

NY

Flooding occurs to aboveground 

foliage and to belowground roots.

ADAPTATIONS TO FLOODING 

• seed dispersal 

• seed germination cues 

• seedling establishment 

• adult survivorship 

• morphological 

• physiological 

• behavioral

Floating - leaf 

Woody trees/shrubs 

Emergent 

herbaceous 

Submersed 

Upland 

Trees/ 

Shrubs Marsh 

Emergent Floating leaf & submersed 

MAJOR TYPES OF SHORELINE PLANTS

U.S. Fish & Wildlife / EPA Wetland Plant Types: 

•Obligative upland – red oak (Quercus rubra) 

•Facultative upland – sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) 

•Facultative wetland – red maple trees (Acer rubrum) 

•Obligative wetland – cattails (Typha spp.) 

http://plants.usda.gov/wetinfo.html

Processes and Ecosystem Services of Healthy Shorelines 

Aboveground leaves and stems 

intercept the water flow, slow it down, 

causing deposition of materials. 

substrate

Vegetation intercepts flowing water, slowing down 

currents, and reducing erosive wave energy. 

Distichlis spicata

Plant foliage shades 

and cools the water, 

keeping it suitable 

for aquatic 

organisms.

Aboveground foliage provides 

nursery areas and refugia for juvenile fish, 

as well as habitat and food for aquatic insects.

Vegetated shorelines are habitat for wildlife 

worth watching.

Belowground 

Roots help 

stabilize soil and 

reduce erosion.

Belowground: 

Porous, organic soils 

encourage infiltration of water 

and reduce overland runoff. 

Wetland Soil Composition: 

• organic matter, e.g. 

decomposing leaves, etc. 

accumulates because 

anaerobic conditions 

• roots 

• microbes 

• mineral soil grains, pores 

• animals (worms, insects)

Belowground 

Groundwater flows from uplands 

down into lakes but 

goes through wetland soils.

Wetlands filter out contaminants 

from groundwater and improve 

water quality. 

Mechanisms: 

• adsorption onto soil 

particles (o.m., clays) 

• microbial transformations 

• root uptake of nutrients 

Aboveground: 

• plant foliage provides sites 

for microbial films.

Example: Removal of nitrate by vegetated buffers 

Effectiveness of removal of nitrate as a function 

of riparian buffer width. 

(summary of data from ~10 studies. 

Haycock et al. 1993 Ambio 22: 340-346)

Vegetated shorelines help buffer 

impacts of ice scour.

Vegetated shorelines deter Canada geese which like 

to forage, rest, nest (and mess!) 

on lawns near water where they can 

see predators and escape quickly.

TALK OUTLINE 

Human impacts 

• Goals 










Bulk heads and other types of “hardening” 

remove most ecosystem services and also 

bounce wave energy to other shorelines.

Shoreline armoring is occurring 

across our freshwater and estuary habitats.

Chautauqua Lake Shorelines 

Jamestown, NY 2010 

lawn/mud 

hardened 

vegetative 

Bing-Livesearch aerial imagery 

Analysis by Miranda Reid

On-site wastewater systems along lakeshores 

are frequently a source of nutrients, pathogens, 

and other contaminants.

Runoff of fertilizers and pesticides used to maintain 

lawns contaminates lake waters and impacts wildlife.

A Comparison of Healthy and Unhealthy Shorelines

TALK OUTLINE 

Human impacts 

• Goals 










HOW TO CREATE YOUR HEALTHY LAKESHORE 

Healthy, lakescaped buffer provides seasonal array 

of colors, textures, aromas, and continual wildlife activity. 

The buffer zone doesn’t have to look unkempt. 

It can be colorful, ordered, and textured.

How to Create a Healthy Lakeshore 

Step 1: PLANNING 

1. Look around at healthy shorelines >> 

What types of wildflowers, grasses, trees shrubs do you see? 

What do you want your shoreline to look like? 

2. Collect some basic information about your existing shoreline: 

• dimensions, 

• slope, 

• existing plants, 

• soil type. 

3. Figure out your budget and resources. 

4. Find out local regulations about grading, siltation control, 

taking plants. 

5. Consider conducting your project in phases.


Sketch out your design on some graph paper so you can 

estimate number of plants, locations.


Design Guidelines to Improve Lakeshore Functions 

• Back away from the edge with buildings and other 

structures. 

• Minimize expanse of lawn and replace with island 

patches of shrubs, trees, mulch and flowers. 

• Replace cement paths and other impervious 

surfaces with stone, gravel, brick. 

• Use mulch wood chips for paths or surround 

flat stones.

Steep vertical slopes 

should be completely 

vegetated to prevent erosion 

OR 

graded to a 

slope of 1:3 or more gentle 

Steep Slope 

Management

Contouring with 

willow or red-osier 

dogwood stakes, 

fascines can be 

used for stabilizing 

serious erosion.


• If you want a clear viewscape of the water, then plant lower shrubs 

in front of house and gradually increase height of vegetation 

as move towards property borders. 

• Curve paths that head to water - straight paths down slopes 

channel the flow that causes gullies. 

• Consider selecting plants that 

take turns blooming over the 

growing season. 

• 20-25 ft wide buffers is 

preferable 

but even 10 ft provides 

benefits! 

Design Guidelines

• Select species that are tolerant of the flooding 

conditions and / or saturated soils that they will 

experience along the topographic gradient. 

• Include a diverse mixture of trees, shrubs, emergent 

and submerged wetland species. 

• Buy, or if allowed, transplant 

from nearby areas. 

• Avoid exotic, invasive 

plant species. 


Plant Selection 

Purple loosestrife

Design example 1 

BEFORE 

Problem Areas 

Vast expanse 

of lawn 

that impacts 

water quality 

From Lakescaping for Wildlife and Water Quality 

Minnesota Dept. Natural Resources 

Exposed, 

erodable 

shoreilne 

substrate 

No plants for 

erosion control 

or wildlife

Design Example 1 

Trees, shrubs, herbs 

replace open lawn 

Curving pathway 

to water 

Vegetated shoreline

Design 

Example 

2 

Viewscape 

Is maintained 

Vegetated 

Slopes 

Reduce 

erosion


Step 2: LAND PREPARATION 

• A good time to work is at low water level in July, August 

to minimize disturbing sediments. 

• Wherever possible remove bulkheads and walls. 

• It may be necessary to use hay bales or other erosion 

collectors along slope toe during construction 

crest 

• Grade slope face to a stable angle and shape; 

• Protect the face from raindrop splash with matting. 

• Intercept or prevent seepage from forming at crest. 

• Divert or intercept upland water flow away from crest. 

face 

toe

If armoring is critical for permanent erosion control, 

use rocks which absorb some wave energy, 

just along the toe of the slope, 

and couple it with a buffer of plantings.


Step 3: PLANTING 

• Plant a vegetated buffer including, a mixture of trees and 

shrubs at upper elevations and wetland 

herbaceous plants nearer the bottom. 

• Figure on about 1 – 2 herbaceous plants per 

10 ft 2 of shoreline. 

• You may want to use matting to hold soil in place, 

then cut holes at desired locations for planting.

A Successful 

Lakescaping 

Project


Step 4 MAINTENANCE 

• Maintenance is critical early on to get plantings going. 

• Young plants need watering until their roots get well established. 

• May need some replacements 

• Weed out undesirables from the in-between areas.

TALK OUTLINE 

• Goals 









• Case Study: Chautauqua Lake Shoreline 

Jamie Vanucchi, SUNY ESF

Case Study: Chautauqua Lake

Resources For Shoreland Design and Buffer Creation 

University of Wisconsin Extension Service 

Shoreland Restoration: Good step-by-step on website 

also. A Growing Solution #GWQ032 is a video w/step-by-step methods 

to plan and implement a vegetative buffer zone. Available at 

http://www1.uwex.edu/ces/pubs/order.cfm 

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 

Lakescaping for Wildlife and Water Quality. The book is available from 

Minnesota's Bookstore (1-800-657-3757) http://www.minnesotasbookstore.com 

Restore Your Shore CD-ROM Available from Minnesota's Bookstore (1-800- 

657-3757) http://www.minnesotasbookstore.com Watch for "Restore Your 

Shore to be added to the DNR Web site. 

University of Minnesota Extension Service 

Sustainable Urban Landscape Information Series 

http://www.sustland.umn.edu/design/water3.html 

GOOD LUCK PLANTING!!

Lakescaping, Dr. Rebecca Schneider, click here. - Occainfo.org

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