Native plants are vital to restoration across every tide zone—subtidal, intertidal, and upland—because they support healthy, resilient coastal ecosystems.  Across all zones, these plants enhance biodiversity, increase ecosystem stability, and play a key role in adapting to sea-level rise and climate change.


​Plants in the Upland Zone

The Upland Zone is at the edge of the shoreline above tidal action, characterized by a reduced risk of flooding, absence of anaerobic conditions and lower saline soil conditions. Native plants are crucial for healthy shoreline ecosystems as they stabilize shorelines, improve water quality, support biodiversity, and provide habitat for wildlife.  Their deep root system prevents erosion, and they filter pollutants from runoff, preventing them from entering the water. Native plants also offer food and shelter for various species, contributing to a balanced and resilient ecosystem.  Removing invasive plants and maintaining the upland zone is key to the restoration process. RSFB plans to incorporate the use of proper site planning; assessment, preparation, planting and maintenance. These methods are needed to identify and remove invasive species to allow the native plants to stabilize the shoreline areas.

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Toyon, commonly known as Christmas Berry (Heteromeles arbutifolia)

Pickleweed (Salicornia virginica)

Plants in the intertidal zone

The intertidal zone includes a group of plants that make up tidal salt marshes, which are adapted to withstand high physiological stress from heat, intermittent waterlogging, and high salinity. During acrid summers in San Francisco, salt marsh plants endure high saline environments followed by wet winters inundated by fresh water. While salt marshes in San Francisco Bay historically served as hotspots of plant and animal diversity, providing habitat for invertebrates that migratory birds fed on, the majority of tidal salt marshes in San Francisco Bay were lost during the 19th and 20th centuries due to reclamation. Today, there is a significant push to recover salt marshes for carbon capture, biodiversity, resting grounds for migratory birds, and their promise as horizontal levees. 
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Renew SF Bay is committed to enhancing the shoreline with native plant species and mitigating the growth of invasive species. Pacific Cordgrass is an important colonizer of salt marshes, providing habitat and protection for wildlife. There is ongoing effort to remove the invasive, hybridized cord grass in San Francisco Bay. Other important species of native marsh plants include pickleweed, California sea lavender, marsh gumweed, and alkali heath.