Site Analysis - Project Planning and Management for Ecological Restoration - page 53

pacts on agricultural crops and have been the target of extensive control measures. Abandoned
agricultural fields may have resident populations that have eluded detection until you show up
on the site to do a project. Projects requiring excavation or transport with heavy equipment will
require inspection to prevent introducing the pest species onto other lands. The local farm adviser
or agricultural field office can provide valuable information on any potential concerns.
Stressors on the Existing Ecosystem. During your site visit, you will need to look at the site
from different positions to obtain perspective. Evaluate the potential for off-site factors that might
present themselves on the project site (box 4-2). Upslope, upstream, or existing roads will be the
most common sources for stressors to enter the site. Note the compounding or cumulative effect of
some conditions. The lack of vegetation causing erosion may indeed have its origin not in moving
or scraping but from contaminants in the soil. Noting irregularities in the occurrence of vegetation
is just the beginning of detecting what may have taken place on a project site. Field interviews
and historical research may clarify this situation. The occurrence of anything “straight,” “square,”
or “rectangular” may indicate influence by some human-based activity. Evidence of fences no
longer present may show the distribution of soil compaction left by cattle; water trough locations
may also have experienced excessive compaction. The list can be quite lengthy, and the source of
any degradation may be simple or complex.
Box 4-2. Lesson Learned: Have a Watershed Perspective
An agency restored a lowland floodplain forest adjacent to a creek. Although the ri-
parian plantings survived and grew rapidly, the project site was soon invaded by a
nonnative species ( Arundo donax ) brought in by floodwaters. The agency was then
forced to assume the added ongoing expense associated with the control of invasive
plants on the project site. Although the stream reach in which the restoration project
was located was free of these invasive plants, many upstream reaches were overgrown
with this nonnative, thus providing a continuous supply of propagules for colonization
of the project site.
The project planners learned that it is important to understand the perturbations
occurring upstream of the project site that could adversely affect the success of a
stream corridor restoration project. The agency learned that it may have to institute a
watershed-wide invasive species management program to ensure the integrity of pres-
ent and future restoration projects in the stream corridor.
PHYSICAL FACTORS
Physical factors encompass the structure, composition, and activity of matter, including water
aboveground and below ground. Landscape ecology attributes are also discussed because this dis-
cipline is concerned with the combined effect of the biotic and abiotic.
Topography. Is there evidence of recent landform changes? Do slope areas present any limita-
tions to plant groups or species? Will access be affected? Sandy slopes greater than 10:1 and other