Improving Restoration Using CVS-Designed Improving Restoration Using CVS-Designed Web-Based ToolsWeb-Based Tools

7 October 20097 October 2009

M. Forbes BoyleM. Forbes BoyleUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel HillUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

GO OVER WEB-BASED TOOLS DEVELOPED BY CVS AND THEIR COLLABORATORS:

1)Vegetation of the Carolinas Website

2)NC Atlas of the SE US Flora

OBJECTIVESOBJECTIVES

EEP-CVS CollaborationEEP-CVS Collaboration• EEP wants to do a better job creating

natural ecosystems.

• CVS provides improved reference data, target design, monitoring, and data management and analysis

• Document reference conditions• Derive restoration targets• Design site-specific restoration plan• Implement the plan• Monitor change and assess success• Employ adaptive management

How reference targets are generated:How reference targets are generated:

Currently, ~ 5000 high-quality vegetation plots in the CVS database

DATA COLLECTED INCLUDE:-species occurrence (across multiple scales)-species importance values-woody stem diameter tally-environmental dataset: (soil nutrients, texture, geomorphology, etc.)

**ALL PLOTS MAPPED TO FINE-SCALE COMMUNITY TYPE**

Resources for Resources for community compositioncommunity composition

• Carolina Vegetation Survey website http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/

• Mike Schafale & Alan Weakley. 1990. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina. http://www.ncnhp.org/Images/Other%20Publications/class.pdf

• U.S. National Vegetation Classification (NVC)

CVS improvements over the past year have led to the development of a dynamic website:

“Vegetation of the Carolinas”http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/vegetation.htm

How can CVS help EEP more efficiently How can CVS help EEP more efficiently select, monitor, and evaluate select, monitor, and evaluate

contractor planting plans?contractor planting plans?

Includes:-List of all vegetation types within Carolinas-Vegetation / environmental stats for all types based on CVS plot data-Hyperlinks to descriptions of each type-Distribution maps

Currently, web site is set up to improve upon Currently, web site is set up to improve upon restoration projects by:restoration projects by:

1)Providing contractors a more ecologically meaningful species / planting list

(CVS dataset is in perfect position for this, now that vegetation types are now available on-line and linked to plot floristics)

2)Developing evaluation tools that EEP can use that will save time and $$

http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/

Physiognomic Great Group

http://cvs.bio.unc.edu/vegetation.htm

FormationSorts types based on dominant growth form, successional status, site units, etc.

EcologicalSorts types based on watershed size, geology, soil chemistry, dominant vegetation, etc.

NVC Association

-Lowest type in the hierarchy. -Typically floristic-driven-Understanding of types improves with MORE DATA

CVS Plot Summary Data Page!!!

The Future of theThe Future of the “Vegetation of the Carolinas” “Vegetation of the Carolinas”

PagePage

- Include decision tree (dichotomous key) that navigates to groups

- General description of fine-scale groups:Quercus pagoda - Quercus phellos - Quercus lyrata - Quercus michauxii / Chasmanthium latifolium Forest (CEGL007356)» Description: flat, large floodplains found within the Triassic Basin of the Piedmont; geomorphologically similar to Coastal Plain floodplains, but restricted to the Triassic Basin. (NC)» 4th approx: Piedmont Swamp Forest» Links: CVS Plot Summary | NatureServe Explorer | VegBank

- Include print-friendly versions of these pages to use in the field

- +/- keys to show/hide lower groups and vegetation tables

SE Flora AtlasSE Flora Atlashttp://herbarium.unc.edu/seflora/firstviewer.htm

SE Flora AtlasSE Flora Atlas

Carya carolinae-septentrionalis, Radford et al. 1968

How to integrate new sources of data??

http://herbarium.unc.edu/seflora/firstviewer.htm

Add dynamic access to NCU collectionAdd dynamic access to NCU collection

Carya carolinae-septentrionalis

NCU

RAB

Carya carolinae-septentrionalis

NCU

RAB

USDA

CVS

Add USDA PLANTS records & Add USDA PLANTS records & CVS vegetation plot dataCVS vegetation plot data

Community types with the conceptCommunity types with the concept

These are the “beginning” stages of the development of web-based tools that will soon be AUTOMATED:

FOR PROJECT PLANNING:

-Environmental-Spatial

Project Manager Enters:

Community

CVS Website Delivers:

Species List DB

Planting List

Community Types Linked To:

Environmental Dataset

These are the “beginning” stages of the development of web-based tools that will soon be AUTOMATED:

FOR PROJECT EVALUATION:

-Species List-Density

Contractor Supplies:

Density/BA Thresholds

CVS Website Checks:

Correct Species

Other measures of

success/failure

CVS Website Delivers:

PROJECT SCORE

LinksLinksCarolina Vegetation Survey

http://cvs.bio.unc.edu

NCU Atlas of the SE florahttp://herbarium.unc.edu/seflora/firstviewer.htm

Thanks Thanks EEP, NSF (SEEK, VegBank), NC Bot. Garden

QUESTIONS? - COMMENTS