Our Services

Native Habitat Restoration & Mitigation

ACS has been a native habitat restoration contractor for over 30 years. We understand the immense importance of installing native plants and sowing native seeds for healthy native habitat. Non-native plant control is often necessary as an initial effort and an ongoing part of restoration, but the active installation of native plants and/or the application of native plant seeds can help expedite the restoration process tremendously. ACS is intimately involved in the planning, installation, irrigation, monitoring, and maintenance phases of vast and small-scale restoration sites. Completing a successful habitat restoration site and seeing evidence of it supporting desirable species is the most rewarding part of what we do.

Invasive Species Control & Vegetation Management

Controlling invasive non-native plant species has been the backbone of ACS since the 1960s. We pride ourselves on having more experienced and licensed applicators and supervisors than any of our competitors. ACS prioritizes experienced labor applicators with California Department of Pesticide Regulation certificates and licenses. We have three certified Pest Control Advisors, and dozens of Qualified Applicator Licenses and Certificates. We stay current on all training and regulations associated with the safe use of pesticide application. However, we are always testing and implementing non-chemical control methods too and work to expand our integrated pest management. ACS supervisors and crew members have decades of experience safely performing well-timed manual and mechanical control. We have successfully performed dozens of large-scale mowing, weed-wrenching, hand-pulling, solarizing, and other integrated methods of controlling invasive plant species throughout California, Nevada, and Arizona.

Botanical Surveys & Vegetation Monitoring

ACS Habitat Management has committed and skilled biologists on staff and specialized partners to successfully complete any sort of ecological survey necessary. ACS has performed multiple large-scale non-native planting efforts which have proven critical to establishing baseline population data for managers. ACS has performed botanical surveys including rare-plant surveys in nearly every environment in Southern California including the Channel Islands, mainland coast, foothills of Los Angeles and San Diego Counties, Mountains of southern California, in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts, in the Panamint Mountains, and in the Great Basin.

Our biologists have decades of experience in performing standardized ecological monitoring and data collection methods. We are regularly contracted to monitor the success of restoration sites, the status and population demographics of rare plant populations, and to perform early detection and rapid response surveys.

Vernal Pool Development, Restoration, and Maintenance

ACS develops, restores, and maintains vernal pools that serve as habitat for the endangered San Diego fairy shrimp (Branchinecta sandiegonensis) and a variety of rare native plant species.  ACS skilled equipment operators can deftly create or recontour pools for mitigation purposes meeting the regulatory requirements of both the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). ACS also provides vernal pool indicator species collection, pool inoculation, and year-round maintenance with capable field technicians and biologists.

Erosion Control

ACS offers a suite of erosion control services, including hydromulching/hydroseeding, wattle, check dam and gravel bag installation. ACS also utilizes the installation and establishment of native vegetation for the purposes of soil stabilization.  Erosion control is a component of many habitat restoration projects, and ACS is well versed in the assessment, repair, and management of erosion issues typically associated with such projects.

Fire Fuels Management

Based in southern California, ACS is intimately familiar with wildfire concerns shared by land managers and the public.  Fire risk is something ACS takes seriously, and we are proud to offer fire fuels management services to our clients to help mitigate fire risks associated with wildland management.  ACS performs tree and biomass removal, vegetation thinning in sensitive habitat areas, and vegetation clearing around structures, rights-of-way areas, and fence lines.

Native Seed Collection & Plant Salvage

Establishing native vegetation is key to creating or enhancing habitat areas, and using endemic native seed and plant material are often an excellent option to assist in achieving these goals.  ACS uses a variety of restoration tools when restoring degraded ecosystems into functioning, native habitat.  ACS botanists and crews are well versed in plant identification and have a wealth of experience collecting native seed and salvaging native plant material for the purposes of hand seeding, hydroseeding, and transplanting.

Vegetation Management Plans

For multiple land manager partners, ACS has created detailed and comprehensive vegetation management plans. These often start with a compilation of historic data and then performing up-to-date monitoring of current species and population boundaries. These baseline data are then summarized, analyzed, and presented as a specific step by step plan for management. Often our clients have been managing vegetation without a specific plan or goal for many years. The development of a vegetation management plan finally gives their efforts clear prioritized goals and steps to achieve those goals.

GIS Data Collection & Management

As an early adopter of GIS and remote sensing technologies in the wildland habitat management space, ACS remains dedicated to exploring innovative ways to leverage the power of GIS to meet land management goals.  ACS has developed GPS field mapping protocols, GIS data collection techniques, and geodatabase and metadata design for federal, regional, and local agencies responsible for land management.  Using a combination of hardware, software, and data management tools, ACS provides clients with a robust offering of GIS services.