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Nature-Based Solutions Tools Search

This database contains over 400 tools and resources that can help guide practitioners at various stages of the nature-based solutions project cycle. Use the filters to identify the tools and resources most useful to you.

You can filter the full list by the habitat type you’re working in, the nature-based solutions strategy you want to use, the project phase you are looking for help with, or the type of tool/resource you’re looking for.

The tools and resources shown here were gathered through a robust search of both federal and non-federal sources. We recognize that this library will never be completely comprehensive, but if you know of an important missing tool or resource, please email nesp@duke.edu.

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This guide provides recommendations for various fuel treatments within ponderosa pine forests. It includes social, political, economic, and ecological factors regarding fuel treatments.

NBS Strategies:

This guide provides information on how to implement smaller green roofs.

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Erosion is a significant issue in arid regions that receive large downpours, a problem this guide seeks to rectify. The authors describe a variety of techniques to retain water, reduce channel incision, and restore buffers.

This resource provides an easy seven-step guide to living shoreline creation projects as well as cost projections, planting guides and permitting considerations. Furthermore, the guide explores hybrid shoreline stabilization methods and recommends techniques based on a property’s characteristics.

Covering all aspects of Phragmites control, this guide recommends a plethora of control and management strategies. Eliminating Phragmites and other invasive species is a major challenge for assisted marsh migration projects.

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Focusing on site selection, this guide helps managers use landscape Analysis Toolsto determine the best sites for stream restoration based on social, environmental, and economic metrics. The authors also discuss the regulatory hurdles involved in stream restoration as well as non-regulatory markets for ecosystem services.

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This guide provides information on different silvicultural treatments used to create and manage fire-resistant forests.

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This document provides best management practices for land managers to prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species.

This guidebook provides information on how to prevent invasive species establishment, maintain native forests, and eradicate invasive species in southern forests.

This guidebook helps restoration managers choose suitable sites for restoration and develop effective restoration strategies. The authors put an emphasis on matching the applicable restoration strategies with an appropriate site for that strategy.

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This document provides information on integrated pest management principles and focal landscapes for the different federal agencies.

Relevant phase:

Developed by the Interagency Workgroup on Wetland Restoration, this guidebook provides information on restoration project planning, implementation, and monitoring.

The plan outlines government agency strategies to address invasive and nuisance aquatic species.

Relevant phase:

This guide provides information on managing invasive species for biodiversity within protected areas. This guide is meant for practitioners.

This library contains a diverse array of resources pertaining to floodplain management, including technical reports and government documents. The library also holds the research of the Flood Science Center, a branch of the ASFPM.

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Beach stability determinations, information about permit requirements, and monitoring plans are just some of the information presented in this practical guide. The authors provide a helpful six-step plan for beach nourishment and address the problem of getting source sediment to match the sediment of the receiving beach.

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This guide covers beach nourishment design, predicting future erosion, and the role of federal agencies in the process. The authors also outline the monitoring process and economic feasibility of projects.

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This easy-to-read guide covers all the main elements of beach nourishment, from analyzing the site characteristics to monitoring. Included is a helpful infographic that lays out the entire spectrum of green to gray shoreline defense techniques.

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Introduction to principles of bioretention systems (rain gardens, bioswales) and overview of design and construction. Focuses on visual indicators to assess performance and maintenance needs. Also includes visual indicators for other urban stormwater management practices, including permeable pavement and filter strips.

BOEM's Marine Minerals Program includes several tools, programs and initatives useful for coastal projects involving the use of federal sand and sediment resources. These inclide: the national offshore sand inventory, the marine minerals information system (MMIS), support for environmental studies and sediment identification for projects, mimpact investifations and resource evaluations, and inventory/identification of marine mineral resources for project use.