What Ecological Restoration does

Ecological Restoration, Inc. is a privately held specialty contracting company headquartered in Apollo, Pennsylvania, founded over 30 years ago as the first contractor in the U.S. to specialize in ecological restoration services. The company designs and constructs stream, river, wetland, and habitat restoration projects across the United States, serving federal agencies (National Park Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Arlington National Cemetery), state and municipal governments, nonprofit organizations (Partners for Clean Streams), universities (Texas A&M, University of Toledo), tribal nations (Seneca Nation), and private corporations (XTO Energy, energy-sector hydroelectric projects). Its core offerings are Stream Restoration, Wetland Restoration, Specialty Ecological Construction, and a vertically integrated native plant Nursery.

The company's technical capabilities center on specialized mechanical equipment and ecological construction methods. It operates amphibious and floating excavators for wetland restoration in inaccessible areas, constructs bendway weirs and Longitudinal Peaked Stone Toe Protection (LPSTP) for stream stabilization, and applies living bioengineering techniques including coir matting, coir logs, live siltation, and live vegetation for bank stabilization. The in-house nursery supplies tens of thousands of herbaceous and woody plants per project, ensuring plant quality and availability. Notable projects include the Delaware Water Gap multi-site restoration, Highland Park Dam decommissioning and fish passage restoration, Mahoning Creek hydroelectric dam finishing work, and the Miakonda Boy Scout Camp habitat restoration in Ohio.

Ecological Restoration, Inc. generates revenue through project-based contracts with custom scopes, with pricing determined per project based on site conditions, scope, materials, and labor. The go-to-market model is direct sales — prospective clients initiate contact via a single point of contact (Dave Hails) and the company engages directly with government agencies, municipalities, nonprofits, and private landowners. There is no online pricing, no public rate sheet, and no standardized service tiers. The firm operates with 11-50 employees, has no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and no institutional investors, indicating it has grown organically over three decades as a bootstrapped specialty contractor. The company was recognized as the #1 Top Storm Water and Erosion Control Project in the country in 2018.

Name

Ecological Restoration

Legal name

Ecological Restoration, Inc.

Website

https://ecologicalrestorationinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ecological Restoration, Inc. is a privately held specialty contracting company based in Apollo, Pennsylvania, designing and constructing stream, wetland, and habitat restoration projects nationwide for federal agencies, state and local governments, nonprofits, universities, and private landowners. The firm operates an integrated native plant nursery and specialized equipment for ecological construction.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ecological Restoration Contracting

NAICS

Timber Tract Operations (11311)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Ecosystem Restoration & Rewilding Services (AFAMAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conservation, Restoration & Biodiversity Services (Habitat, Wetlands, Riparian) (IMAMAJAH), Riparian & Watershed Reforestation (Streambank Stabilization) (AFAMACAK), Native Species & Restoration Plant Nurseries (AFAMADAF), Invasive Species Control & Site Restoration (Pre/Post Planting) (AFAMACAN)

Keywords

• Ecological restoration services
• Stream restoration construction
• Wetland restoration services
• Native plant nursery
• Habitat restoration contracting

Headquarters

HQ city

Apollo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ecological Restoration Services: Project-based revenue from designing and constructing ecological restoration projects including stream, river, and wetland restoration. Revenue is earned through contracts with government agencies, municipalities, and private organizations for environmental restoration work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Ecological Restoration, Inc. is a specialty contracting company that designs and builds ecological restoration projects, including stream and river restoration, wetland restoration, urban waterway work, forest restoration, pond and lake restoration, and prairie restoration. The company also operates an in-house native plant nursery that grows and supplies the herbaceous and woody vegetation installed on its projects, allowing end-to-end control of design, construction, and planting.

Product overview

Ecological Restoration, Inc. is a specialty contracting company that offers a unified suite of ecological restoration services rather than a modular software platform. The company's core offerings include Stream Restoration, Wetland Restoration, Specialty Ecological Construction, and an integrated Nursery service that supplies native plants for restoration projects. These services work together as an end-to-end solution: the company designs and constructs restoration projects (streams, wetlands, habitat areas) while simultaneously growing and installing the necessary native vegetation through its own nursery. The company has completed hundreds of projects nationwide over 30+ years, serving government agencies, organizations like the National Park Service and Corps of Engineers, and private landowners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Stream Restoration Design and construction services for restoring streams and rivers, including bendway weirs, Longitudinal Peaked Stone Toe Protection (LPSTP), bank protection, rock structures, fish passage, and habitat creation. Served government agencies, municipalities, and private organizations nationwide.
• Wetland Restoration Services for restoring and creating wetlands, including wetland treatment systems, phytoremediation, amphibious excavation, floating excavator wetland shelf construction, and habitat restoration in hard-to-access sites such as lakes and river bends.
• Specialty Ecological Construction Specialized construction services for ecological restoration projects across urban waterways, forests, ponds, lakes, and prairies, including dam decommissioning, stormwater and erosion control, and living bioengineering installations combining rock structures with live vegetation.
• Native Plant Nursery In-house native plant nursery supplying herbaceous and woody plants for the company's restoration projects, ensuring plant quality, species selection, and availability at scale (e.g., tens of thousands of plants installed at Miakonda Boy Scout Camp).

Quantifiable outcome

• Immediately successful fish passage - fish observed using structures on day of completion at Highland Park
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• National Park ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcological Restoration, Inc. completed major restoration projects for the National Park Service at the Delaware Water Gap, including work in Bushkill Creek, Dingman's Creek, and the Delaware River. Projects included bendway weirs, stone protection, living vegetation installations, and wetland restoration.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Resource Environmental Solutions (RES): RES is one of the largest U.S. ecological restoration contractors delivering stream, wetland, and habitat mitigation projects for federal, state, and private clients. Most directly comparable as a specialty contractor executing large-scale restoration design-build projects nationwide.
• Biohabitats: Biohabitats is an ecological restoration firm focused on rivers, streams, wetlands, and coastal habitats with a strong emphasis on bioengineering and native planting. Closely comparable in technical approach, project types, and customer mix to Ecological Restoration, Inc.
• SWCA Environmental Consultants: SWCA provides environmental consulting, restoration, and natural resource management services, often supporting federal and tribal clients similar to Ecological Restoration, Inc. Comparable mix of ecological restoration, permitting, and habitat work, though delivered primarily through a consulting model.
• Wildlands Engineering: Wildlands Engineering specializes in stream and wetland restoration, including dam removal, fish passage, and riparian stabilization. Direct peer in delivery of bioengineered streambank and habitat projects for government and nonprofit clients.
• WSSI (Davey Resource Group): WSSI, now part of the Davey Resource Group, is a regional ecological restoration firm specializing in wetland and stream mitigation, native plant supply, and regulatory support. Highly comparable in delivery model and native plant nursery integration.

Emerging players

• Restoration Systems: Restoration Systems is a mitigation banking and stream/wetland restoration developer that combines project origination with delivery. Comparable in stream and wetland restoration execution but distinguished by its mitigation banking development model.

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: Stantec is a global engineering, environmental, and construction firm with a sizable environmental remediation and restoration practice. Broader incumbent offering overlapping capabilities as part of a multi-disciplinary portfolio rather than as a specialty contractor.
• Apex Companies: Apex Companies is a diversified environmental services firm offering restoration, remediation, and compliance services. Overlapping capabilities in wetland and stream restoration but operating as part of a broader environmental services portfolio.
• Kleinfelder: Kleinfelder is an engineering, scientific, and construction services firm with restoration and natural resource capabilities. Broader incumbent that competes on larger integrated environmental contracts overlapping with specialty restoration work.

Regional players

• Heartland Ecological Group: Heartland Ecological Group is a regional ecological restoration and native plant nursery contractor serving the Midwest. Comparable specialty contractor profile with in-house nursery operations, though with a more concentrated geographic footprint than Ecological Restoration, Inc.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ecologicalrestoration
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecological-restoration-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Ecological Restoration