A site assessment is the process of gathering information about your project area that will be important to the design of your restoration. You will want to have a clear understanding of the property boundaries that make up your project site, the individual polygons within that site, the people that will be effected by your work and the various species of plants present.
This process will build the foundation that the future of your restoration will be created on. Taking the time to do a thorough site assessment will help you develop effective Goals that address specific needs, a Site Map to aid in the development of a work plan and make your reasoning clear to others now and well in to the future.
You will need a few specialized tools to collect all of the information necessary to doing a thorough site assessment. You will need a 100 meter measuring tape and a compass that allows you to take a bearing measured in degrees. You may also find it helpful to have a clinometer for measuring slopes and a densiometer for determining canopy coverage.
Download a summary of the Site Assessment Process provided for the UW Restoration Capstone Course.
Asessment tools may be borrowed through the:
Washington Native Plant Society
Or they can be Purchased at these locations:
Follow the links below to continue on to information about:
