Ecologically-Based Solutions to Prairie Restoration and Other Native Landscaping Services in Hawthorn Woods, Illinois
McGinty Bros., Inc. has a long-standing commitment to restoring and managing natural areas in the greater Chicago area, including Hawthorn Woods, Illinois. With approximately 100 natural area restoration projects in a given year, we have the experience to do it right. In fact, we have a staff of 35 employees devoted to natural area projects, some with bachelor's degrees and advanced degrees in natural resource fields. No restoration project is too big or too small. We have the staff and the equipment to handle it all.
For over 30 years we have been providing native habitat restoration and management in Hawthorn Woods, IL and the greater North Chicagoland area to:
- private landowners
- corporate properties
- county forest preserves
- conservation districts
- park districts
- governmental agencies
- many landscape designers and consultants
Some of you might be wondering. . . what exactly is prairie restoration and native landscaping? This is landscaping at its wildest. We turn large, open areas back into the type of land they might have been before this area was settled in the 1800s. We restore the prairie. We make pleasing places full of native plants (which means we also control the types of plants that don't belong). Does McGinty Bros. own a landscaping time machine? No. We use 21st century methods to achieve a native landscape. Our services include:
- pre-installation herbicide applications
- soil preparation
- seeding using a variety of different methods (such as hydroseeding, drill seeding, and broadcast seeding)
- herbaceous plug planting
- shrub and tree planting
- selective herbicide applications
- prescribed burning
Keep reading to take a closer look at the different types of services we provide for natural area restoration.
Reclaim Your Hawthorn Woods, IL Land's Value with Ecological Prairie Restoration
The process of prairie restoration, wetland restoration, or upland restoration requires imagination as well as advanced knowledge about native plants and ecosystems. First, you have to be able to envision the land the way it once was before it was degraded. Some lands retain some of their natural traits, making it possible to restore them without starting over from scratch. For instance, wetlands that have been filled and drained may still contain some of their native flora. Uplands that have gone through years of overgrowth and abuse still have the basis of a productive forest or field. They need someone to come in and renew them to their former ecological value.
McGinty Bros., Inc. employees have the know-how to control, treat, and remove invasive plants. We have smart, skilled people on our staff including licensed herbicide applicators and some with advanced degrees in natural resource fields. Our equipment is suitable for large projects and small projects. We are serious about restoring your natural areas. Let us help you create a management plan for your property.
Consider Our Native Landscaping Services for Your Residential or Commercial Property
You don't need a huge plot of land to contribute to the ecological health of your community. While those endless miles of prairie that used to grow where you live were very beautiful, you don't actually want to bulldoze all your buildings and restore the entire landscape to prairie land. Instead, consider a native garden or a bio-swale.
Watch the Birds and Butterflies Flock to Your Native Garden
When properly planted with native species, a native rain garden provides food and fuel for insects and birds. Monarch butterflies, hummingbirds, and other beautiful wildlife will love your rain garden. You'll love the ecological benefits of the garden. It filters your runoff pollution, removes the standing water on your property, and reduces mosquito breeding. Plus, it is a very economical and low-maintenance type of garden.
Manage the Runoff from Your Parking Lot with a Bio-swale
Never heard of a bio-swale? It's like an all-natural gutter. Bio-swales filter stormwater, like a rain garden, but they are designed for larger amounts of runoff. This is great for a parking lot or even a roadway. A bio-swale is generally longer and deeper than a rain garden. The smart folks at McGinty Bros. know just the right types of plants to put into a bio-swale so it will survive heavy rain and drought.
Promote Native Plants with Prescribed Burning
Fires make some people real nervous. At McGinty Bros., we have folks who control fires. Our burn boss and crew members are current Illinois Department of Natural Resource licensed with S-130/S-190 Basic Wildland Fire Training. Our folks know how to do a burn.
Why would you want us to burn your landscape? Prescribed burning does the following things:
- controls weedy species
- manages built up vegetation
- promotes native plants
This is ecologically smart and improves the way your land looks. The timing of the burn determines which weeds are targeted. Leave your controlled burning to the McGinty Bros.
Soil Erosion and Sediment Control: Which Solution Suits Your Hawthorn Woods, Illinois Landscape?
With years of experience in shoreline and stream bank stabilization, McGinty Bros. has built up quite the repertoire of solutions to the old problem of erosion. We have completed intensive shore armament projects with a-jacks and rip rap installations. We have also used riffle construction. Are you interested in a less invasive solution? We can do that, too. Consider one of these ways to control soil erosion:
- brush mats
- coir fiber rolls
- deep-rooted native vegetation
- live stakes
- vegetated geo-grids
If you're looking into a landscape erosion problem, you probably have a few questions and concerns. McGinty Bros. has the answers. We have been doing this sort of thing since you were knee-high to a grasshopper.* We have erosion problems all stopped up.
* This may be an exaggeration. It depends on which grasshopper you stand next to.
Contact Us for A Free Prairie Restoration Evaluation
No matter the size of your natural area, we'd love to come over and take a look at it! Our site evaluations are free and you are not under any obligation to accept the proposal we give you. You probably won't come across another landscaping company with the amount of experience and the professional know-how and equipment that McGinty Bros., Inc. has, so please contact us today and let us show you what we can do for your natural area.
