Design Approach - Project Planning and Management for Ecological Restoration - page 70

FIGURE 5-1. Project initiation tasks. Careful consideration of these tasks is critical to success.
ages can capture this maturation process for a reference site design model and later as an analytic
tool for evaluation of performance. The compiled data will establish a trajectory. Project progress
can be evaluated by comparing the trajectories of the site with the reference model.
Appropriate selection and use of reference sites will provide a strong foundation from which to
launch your project.
Four Design Approaches
The four design approaches—extant reference site, historical reconstruction, remnant, and fab-
rication—are all approaches for creating a reference model for your restoration project. These
approaches can be used in combination as project site conditions permit. Extant reference is the
use of an existing ecosystem on-site or nearby with similar physical characteristics. The use of an
extant reference site is the most common method of determining the species composition and
other characteristics. Historical reconstruction relies on literature, photographs, historical docu-