Ecotone

What Ecotone does

Ecotone is a full-delivery ecological restoration company founded in 1998 and headquartered in Cockeysville, Maryland. The firm provides design, permitting, construction, and long-term stewardship for stream, wetland, shoreline, and forest restoration projects, complemented by an in-house native nursery in Baldwin, MD that supplies project-specific plant stock. Ecotone's proprietary technical capabilities include beaver-based restoration (flow devices, beaver bafflers, pond levelers, culvert fences), behavioral deer exclusion fencing that delivers 70-80% cost savings over traditional tree shelters, biochar-enhanced best management practices (BMPs) for agricultural stormwater management, and living shoreline designs. The company also develops and manages ecosystem credits across stream, wetland, forest, and TMDL categories under Section 404 mitigation banking, providing compliance inventory to permit holders.

The business model is primarily project-based professional services revenue, with multi-year contracts funded through government partnerships and grant programs (Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, Agricultural Water Quality Cost Share) rather than direct customer pricing. Customer segments are organized vertically: primary segments are Government/Municipal clients required to meet EPA TMDL compliance and Agricultural/Landowner clients seeking water quality and BMP implementation, with secondary work for retirement communities, universities, and outdoor recreation facilities. Distribution is direct enterprise field sales targeting counties, municipalities, and large agricultural operations across the Mid-Atlantic, with community-led engagement (Arbor Day events, BeaverCON, school partnerships) supporting top-of-funnel brand building.

Following a 2021 growth capital partnership with L2 Capital Partners and the November 2022 acquisition of Wilkinson Ecological Design, Ecotone now operates across the Mid-Atlantic and into New England, employs a leadership team including a new CEO (Conor Gillespie), a Director of Restoration, and a Director of Ecosystem Credit Solutions. The company is a certified B Corporation (since 2018), has earned four consecutive Inc. 5000 placements (2017-2020), and was named a Baltimore Business Journal Fast 50 and Top 100 Private Company in 2020. Headcount has expanded from 12 employees in 2012 to 75 in 2020, supported by 27% average revenue growth over 2017-2019.

Name

Ecotone

Legal name

Ecotone, Inc.

Website

https://ecotoneinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Ecotone is a full-delivery ecological restoration firm providing design, permitting, construction, and stewardship of stream, wetland, shoreline, and forest restoration projects for government agencies, agricultural landowners, and private clients across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ecological Restoration Services

NAICS

Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (113210), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Ecological Restoration Planning & Monitoring (Habitat, Wetland, Stream) (EUAHAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conservation, Restoration & Biodiversity Services (Habitat, Wetlands, Riparian) (IMAMAJAH), Conservation Planning, Mitigation Banking & Offset Strategy (EUAHAHAL), Biodiversity Conservation & Habitat Banking (AFAMAMAC), Ecosystem Restoration & Rewilding Services (AFAMAMAE)

Keywords

• Ecological restoration services
• Stream restoration design
• Wetland creation enhancement
• Living shoreline stabilization
• Ecosystem mitigation credits

Headquarters

HQ city

Forest Hill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ecological Restoration Services: Full-delivery ecological restoration services including design, permitting, construction, and long-term stewardship. Services include stream restoration, wetland creation/enhancement, shoreline stabilization, reforestation, living shorelines, and forest restoration.
2. Ecosystem Credits Development: Development and management of mitigation credits across stream, wetland, forest, and TMDL categories. Credits sold to permit holders requiring compensatory mitigation under Section 404.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ecotone provides full-delivery ecological restoration services for streams, wetlands, shorelines, and forests, encompassing design, permitting, construction, and long-term stewardship. The company also operates an in-house native plant nursery supplying restoration projects and wholesale customers, and develops ecosystem/mitigation credits (stream, wetland, forest, TMDL) sold to permit holders requiring compensatory mitigation under Section 404.

Product overview

Ecotone is a full-delivery ecological restoration company offering a unified portfolio of services spanning stream, wetland, shoreline, and forest restoration. The company provides end-to-end capabilities from design and permitting through construction and long-term stewardship, supported by an in-house native nursery for plant stock. Following the acquisition of Wilkinson Ecological Design in November 2022, the combined organization brings expertise from Maine to the Mid-Atlantic. The product portfolio centers on the Full-Delivery Ecological Restoration service, which encompasses specialized offerings including Stream Restoration, Wetland Restoration, Shoreline Restoration, Forest Restoration, Native Nursery, Ecosystem Credits (stream, wetland, reforestation, TMDL), Stormwater Management, and Dam Removal Services. The company also operates as a certified B Corporation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Stream Restoration
• Wetland Restoration
• Shoreline Restoration
• Forest Restoration
• Native Nursery
• Ecosystem Credits
• Stormwater Management
• Dam Removal Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 33+ miles of streams and 1,250 acres of wetlands restored since founding
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wilkinson Ecological DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2022Ecotone acquired Wilkinson Ecological Design in November 2022, combining teams to bring stream, wetland, coastal, and forest restoration expertise from Maine to the Mid-Atlantic. Now operating as unified team.
• JAMSQUADminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership with local cycling advocacy organization to promote youth cycling. Ecotone provides storage and warehouse space at Forest Hill Headquarters for JAMSQUAD's bike repair operations and community events.
• National Mitigation & Ecosystem Banking ConferenceminorOthers · 1 March 2018Ecotone supports and participates in NMEBC, a conference bringing together policymakers, bankers, industry consultants, and environmental community members to advance and protect the environment in a financially sustainable way.
• Baltimore County Soil Conservation DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Memorandum of Agreement since 2010 resulting in 28,000 linear feet of stream restoration and multiple agricultural BMP projects. Collaborative partnership for water quality improvement initiatives in Baltimore County.
• York County Conservation DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Bald Eagle Creek tributary restoration project completed in 2023, involving stream restoration, wetland creation, and riparian buffer planting benefiting both environment and agricultural lands.
• Center for Watershed ProtectioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with CWP for watershed restoration projects. Co-sponsored 2018 National Watershed and Stormwater Conference. Scott McGill serves as panelist on stream restoration topics.
• Maryland Department of Natural ResourcescoreOthersPrimary funding partner providing Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund grants for stream restoration and agricultural BMP projects. Helps local municipalities and landowners implement water quality improvements.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Resource Environmental Solutions (RES): RES is the largest private U.S. provider of ecological restoration, mitigation banking, and conservation services, PE-backed by KKR. It directly mirrors Ecotone's combined design-build restoration plus ecosystem credits model at national scale.
• Biohabitats: Biohabitats is an employee-owned ecological restoration consultancy delivering stream, wetland, and coastal restoration design and construction across the U.S. — the closest direct competitor in service mix and project delivery.
• Wildlands Engineering: Wildlands Engineering provides stream, wetland, and riparian restoration services in the Southeastern U.S., with strong mitigation credit and nutrient offset banking capabilities — highly comparable to Ecotone's Mid-Atlantic practice.
• Anchor QEA: Anchor QEA is an environmental engineering firm with significant shoreline, wetland, and sediment remediation practices serving similar government and port clients across the U.S., overlapping Ecotone's coastal/shoreline restoration work.

Emerging players

• GreenVest: GreenVest is a smaller regional restoration firm focused on mitigation banking and stream/wetland design-build on the U.S. East Coast, competing for similar state and private contracts in the same geography as Ecotone.

Broad incumbents

• Tetra Tech: Tetra Tech is a global leader in water, environmental, and sustainable infrastructure consulting with a substantial ecological restoration practice, frequently competing for the same large government RFPs Ecotone targets.
• Arcadis: Arcadis is a global design and consultancy firm with a sizable U.S. water and ecological restoration practice, including resilience and nature-based solutions that overlap Ecotone's service portfolio.
• Stantec: Stantec is a major North American environmental services and engineering firm with an active ecological restoration group, often working on the same watershed and stormwater mandates as Ecotone.
• WSP: WSP is a global professional services firm whose U.S. environment practice includes stream restoration, wetlands, and ecosystem credit work, frequently partnering with or competing against Ecotone on federal/state contracts.

Others

• Davey Resource Group: Davey Resource Group, part of Davey Tree Expert Co., provides ecological consulting, forestry, wetland delineation, and mitigation/restoration services across the U.S., an adjacent ecosystem-services competitor with overlapping utility and government clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCnxiqGy9ePI_hJeoZpS-QxQ
• Instagraminstagram.com/ecotoneinc
• Xx.com/EcotoneInc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ecotone