Site Analysis - Project Planning and Management for Ecological Restoration - page 64

Strengths
A strength is a strong attribute or inherent asset (Merriam-Webster 2003).
Typically, strengths are factors that positively influence your site and are desirable assets that
should be not only preserved but enhanced. A strength is considered a somewhat relative term; on
your site, a strength may constitute, for example, a remnant patch of native grasses or an intermit-
tent stream. Such strengths may provide a starting point, or even the main theme, with which to
begin your design efforts.
Weaknesses
A weakness is a fault or defect, deficient in physical vigor (Merriam-Webster 2003).
Devote your time to gaining a clear understanding of the negative trends or patterns on the
site. Look for obvious stressors. Are there patterns of erosion or sedimentation that may require
remedial action? Are adjacent land uses supporting or causing apparent weaknesses? Are current
management practices of adjacent, upwind, or upstream lands causing degradation on the site?
Are invasive weeds populating the site? Develop a list of weaknesses and consider rating them
according to their relative importance for remedial action.
We usually break down all issues into two categories: issues requiring immediate attention
and issues that do not directly and immediately affect the implementation of the restoration strat-
egies. The list of weaknesses may become a list of issues that are critical first responses because
anticipated project features cannot be properly implemented without first addressing the project
weaknesses. Depending on the extent and degree of the remaining weaknesses, you may consider
identifying anticipated improvements to be implemented in future phases.
Opportunities
An opportunity is a good chance for advancement or progress; a favorable juncture of circumstances
(Merriam-Webster 2003).
A major purpose of the site analysis is to discern opportunities where restoration can reestablish
functions and values. Often, it is the subtle issues that tend to influence your decisions the most.
Once, when conducting a site analysis for an oak woodland restoration project, we overlooked the
presence of thousands of oak seedlings. The site had been frequently grazed by cattle, and all the
seedlings had been browsed to the ground. It wasn't until a subsequent site visit, after the cattle had
been moved to another location, that we first noticed hundreds of oak seedlings throughout the
area. Consequently, we completely reoriented our approach to the restoration effort, and rather
than the intensive planting regime we first considered, we simply fenced the site and kept the
cattle out, thus allowing the seedlings to grow.
The above illustration reveals that opportunities may be very well hidden and that it can take several
site visits to uncover them. Much of your identification of opportunities depends on your view of the site
when considered through the framework of your project goals. Consider urban runoff. At first thought,