Site Analysis - Project Planning and Management for Ecological Restoration - page 50

compiled and reviewed prior to the actual site visit. These maps should also be formatted for easy
access during your site visit. Advances in digital hardware have enabled loading these maps on tab-
lets, notebooks, and smartphones for use in the field. We have used a variety of sizes and formats
of data and have found maps sized to fit on 11- by 17-inch sheets work best; they allow the display of
sufficient detail while providing a compact space for taking notes and sketching potential design or
project technique ideas. Whether you work with a large site and choose 1 inch = 100 feet or a small
site with 1 inch = 20 feet, we find that this sheet size is the handiest for combining field notations
and sketches and transferring them to plan sheets later.
Varied timing of the site analysis can yield different results. A visit timed to coincide with
the spring bloom will yield certain information about the presence of many nonnative species
that may lead you to design a weed abatement program. On the other hand, a site visit during a
rainstorm may allow you to document surface hydrological patterns, which may lead to the devel-
opment of erosion control measures for responding to critical areas of concern or may even lead
to the identification of opportunities. Ideally, you should plan for multiple site visits, staged over
several months, to enable the collection of seasonal site data.
Although we emphasize the importance of a comprehensive and structured data collection ef-
fort (Bradshaw and Chadwick 1980; Anderson 2001), the actual factors that you choose to examine
and the level of data collected must be determined by you and the project restoration team. The
constraints you face regarding time, money, human resources (contractors, volunteers, or paid
staff), and stakeholder expectations provide a framework for planning your data collection budget.
The demands of each site dictate which factors require attention and the necessary amount of
data. The most efficient and fail-safe approach is to develop and routinely use a standardized site
analysis checklist to avoid overlooking any critical site factors.
Site Analysis Checklist
When you are on-site conducting a site analysis, it is easy to omit investigating some issues unless
you have a checklist. When working through a hierarchy of factors from general issues (e.g., his-
torical land use, political considerations, and community involvement) to physical factors (e.g.,
surface hydrology, soils, and climate, including microclimates) to biological factors (e.g., vegeta-
tion, wildlife, and habitat features), we suggest a process that reveals elements that are essential
for project success. From the three categories (general, physical, and biological), we suggest a
framework for arranging and cataloging the information collected (appendix 5).
GENERAL FACTORS
General factors are primarily human-originated impacts or conditions that in some way will affect
how a project may proceed on the property. Some of these factors cannot be observed on the site
but have to be obtained from documentation or other specialized studies (e.g., historical, arche-
ological).
Ownership of the Site and Adjacent Sites. Determine the ownership of the site early to en-
sure that you possess access rights and to learn about any deed restrictions that may limit or even