Second Growth

Some features:

• Five places to restore: a Pacific Northwest farm, a cattle ranch in the Brazilian Amazon, an overgrazed range on the Serengeti, a lawn-covered Atlanta suburb, and a cattle finca on a volcano in Nicaragua (which you can also play in Spanish).
• 134 native plant species across the maps, each with its own moisture, light and soil ranges. They grow where conditions suit them and die back where they don't.
• Succession happens on its own. Pioneers rebuild the soil, then slower trees move in under the canopy. Deep roots break up compacted fields and crusted hardpan over a few years. Dead trees turn into snags, then logs, then soil.
• Over 120 wildlife species that rate every tile for habitat. Predators need prey, woodpeckers need snags, bears need berries. Animals breed, move in or leave based on what's actually there. You never buy animals.
• Keystone moments: salmon running up the creek, beavers building their first dam, wildebeest crossing the river, monarchs pouring through a suburb, a troop of howler monkeys returning, sea turtles coming ashore to nest at night and their hatchlings running for the sea.
• Seasons and migration. Plants bloom and fruit by season, and migratory animals leave and come back if their habitat is still there.
• Wildfires and floods. Dry-season fires spread through dry grass and brush. Floods drown seedlings but bring in silt and new seed. You can cut firebreaks and send fire crews. Controlled burns are cheap, but in dry weather they can get away from you.
• A campaign on four of the maps that teaches each part of restoration one chapter at a time, or free play with every tool from the start.
• Trails and visitors on some maps. Build trails, boardwalks, viewing blinds and a visitor center. Visitors pay to come, but they also scare off shy species.
• Working land: on the Nicaragua finca, shade trees and living fences mean healthier cattle and more milk, and bringing the mangroves back means more fish.