Restoration Project Documents - Project Planning and Management for Ecological Restoration - page 138

Existing natural features, such as rock outcroppings, streambeds, ponds, and even large trees,
are identified and carefully plotted on grading plans, as are elements of the built environment,
including fences, walls, and structures, such as buildings, drains, culverts, and roads.
Most licensed land surveyors now collect field data with Global Positioning System (GPS) de-
vices, which increase accuracy and reduce time and effort in the collection phase. The electronic
spatial data resulting from the GPS field survey is then processed in the office and translated into
a base map. This highly accurate base map then becomes the basis for the grading design.
The decision to proceed with more detailed mapping than the GPS base map may be related
to the overall restoration program being contemplated. For example, newly acquired land in the
beginning stages will want to have the most usable topographic documents so that the planning of
the complete program can be done with certainty.
It is during the preparation of the grading plan that the “baseline,” or traverse, or reference
line, is established on the project site. The baseline is a line placed on the project site over a spe-
cific location; this line consists of two distinct end points, with distinct units of measure marked
in the field. We have found—after repeated difficulty with finding suitable and reliable points of
reference in the field—that a baseline is extremely valuable. First identified on the grading plan,
the baseline is then established in the field by the land surveyor. Only the end points and peri-
odic units are marked in the field, with surveying stakes as markers. These markers then become
extremely useful reference points for all project participants, from project development through
installation and even during the monitoring periods.
As such, we routinely first establish the baseline on the project so that all other features and
project elements are being referenced to the baseline. This is helpful when attempting to locate
obscure field elements, such as drains or very small plants. The baseline is also a handy reference
tool for the team responsible for project construction. Here, the baseline becomes the reference
point on the project for where plants are placed and where monitoring sites are established. The
units of measure selected depend on the size of your project. For small projects, baselines that
FIGURE 9-4. Establishing a baseline on a project facilitates communication among the workers and
ensures the project is installed as designed.