Read this portion of a draft. (1) A wetlands crew worked to restore native plants without leaving large areas of bare soil. (2) The project therefore proceeded in stages rather than clearing the entire site at once. (3) [Invasive reeds spread across the marsh. Native sedges declined. Crews cleared one section at a time. They replanted each section before moving on.] (4) The staged approach also reduced erosion during heavy rain. The writer wants to improve the flow of sentence group (3). Which revision best combines the ecological change and the crews’ staged response?