Restoration Ecology Ecological restoration is an area of research and practice which encompasses a number of skills and areas of competence. Probably its most identifiable characteristic is the goal of restoring or creating native plant communities. A similar disciplinary area, and one which depends upon many of the same skills, is the creation of constructed biological systems. Constructed biological systems use living organisms to create a desired physical, chemical or biological process or product.
Restoration ecology works with living materials and is best taught with living materials.
Several campus facilities support the teaching capabilities of the restoration component of the Ecological Engineering curriculum. There are greenhouse, nursery and wetbed facilities at the Center for Urban Horticulture. The Union Bay Natural Area is a natural lab for studying and teaching about the restoration and management of early successional ecosystems. They include Ft.