Combining Available Spatial Data to Define Restoration Goals

Defining the restoration target is the first step towards creating a vegetation community restoration plan and is critical for measuring success of a project. We propose a method of determining restoration goals which utilizes publicly available soils data from the Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) website. Ecological site data associated with each soil type provide the dominant vegetation types supported by a particular soil. These data can be used to create potential natural vegetation maps that can be used to guide restoration goals. We employed these methods on 2 barrier strandplain peninsulas in the Texas Coastal Bend—Lamar and Live Oak peninsulas, creating a map of grouped ecological sites. We then related the sites to a current land cover classification scheme by means of a crosswalk to allow for a comparison with current land cover, resulting in a simplification of the natural vegetation map. To address gaps in the vegetation information, we used digital elevation models and knowledge of existing zonation patterns in the vegetation to determine the potential natural vegetation at particular elevations. Two examples demonstrate the utility of this approach where soil and/or vegetation have been altered in a coastal environment. These methods offer a starting point for determining the natural vegetation assemblage and appropriate restoration target.