PARENT SESSION
Poster Session #20: Arid Lands Restoration.
Tuesday, August 6. Presentation from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM. Exhibit Hall B & C, TCC
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Use of reference sites in xero-riparian and sage scrub restoration planning.
Snibbe, Jenni*,1, Fontaine, Julie2, 1 PCR Services Corporation, Irvine, CA2 PCR Services Corporation, Irvine, CA
ABSTRACT- A goal in restoration ecology is to restore the integrity of natural processes in habitats that have been disturbed, destroyed or gradually changed over time due to human influences. It is also to create and/or enhance habitats in areas that have need for or require ecosystem recovery. In order to achieve these ends in xero-riparian and sage scrub restoration we use reference sites as the basis to restore or create similar habitat. Biotic and abiotic characteristics are measured at several reference sites within the project vicinity including vegetation composition, densities, cover, aspect, soils, and percent slope. These measures are used to determine the plant species composition, cover, densities and geographic limits of seed collection for the re-vegetation efforts, as well as the standard to develop reasonable success criteria. As a result, these measures are directly applicable to monitoring restoration sites, and enable us to create and restore habitats that mimic natural conditions. Using examples from the Big Wash Riparian Forest Restoration in Oro Valley, Arizona; Hawks Pointe Coastal Sage Scrub Restoration in Fullerton and La Mirada, California; and Ramsgate Coastal Sage Scrub Restoration in Lake Elsinore, California, we discuss specific techniques in reference site data collection and analysis as it applies to restoring and creating habitats that reflect natural ecosystems.
KEY WORDS: restoration, sage scrub, xero-riparian, reference sites