The CVSEEP Partnership

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The CVS-EEP Partnership

• Working together to restore North Carolina's
  natural communities

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The CVS Team

• Project Directors
• Robert Peet, UNC Chapel Hill
• Thomas Wentworth, NC State University
• Michael Schafale, NC Natural Heritage Program
• Alan Weakley, NC Botanical Garden
• Staff
• Forbes Boyle, Project Manager
• Michael Lee, Database admin software developer

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The Carolina Vegetation Survey

• Multi-institutional collaborative research
  program.
• Established in 1988 to document the composition
  and status of natural vegetation of the
  Carolinas.
• Provides data, data services, and analysis to
  EEP and its contractors.

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CVS-EEP collaboration activitiesResearch and
Services

• Restoration targets
• Protocols and tools
• Training
• Data management
• Data analysis

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1. Restoration targets

• Goal Move from crude species lists to a plot
  database and high-resolution community
  classification with quantitative descriptions.
• EEP contractors can use these data to establish
  site-specific restoration targets.
• Phase 1 National Vegetation Classification type
  descriptions.
• Phase 2 Dynamically generated targets.
• Growers can predict material needs.
• EEP can anticipate significantly higher success.

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Over 6000 plots, containing over 2600 species,
representing over 250 vegetation types
Reference data collection is an on-going activity
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How to construct a template Phase I-
http//cvs.bio.unc.edu/vegetation.htm
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Interactive plot map Coastal Plain brownwater
river forests levee floodplain forests Mean
site attributes for vegetation types
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2. Protocols and tools

• CVS collaborates with EEP to
• develop and document efficient protocols for
  recording and monitoring vegetation,
• design and create data entry and quality-control
  tools to optimize the efficiency and quality of
  data flow from field workers into the data
  archive.

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CVS sampling protocol

• 5 sampling levels provide flexibility plus
  consistency.
• Available resources include manuals, datasets,
  and data entry tools.
• Anticipates new federal standards
• Applicable for multiple purposes and organizations

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3. Training

• Contractors receive hands-on training in data
  collection and management at annual workshops
• Annual Pulse events provide intensive training
  in sampling protocols and North Carolinas plant
  species and vegetation.

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4. Data management

• The CVS data management system insures accurate
  data collection and reporting.
• The CVS data-entry tool allows efficient data
  entry with automatic error checking.
• Reports and plot statistics are automatically
  generated.
• The archived data are used in various analyses
  and to generate datasheets for subsequent
  monitoring.

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System of Databases
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System of Databases

• The Entry Tool
• Facilitates Entry of new data
• From restoration sites
• From reference (non-disturbed, natural) sites
• Checks for potential errors
• Exports a report summarizing data

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System of Databases

• The Migration Tool
• Used by CVS Data Administrator
• Moves data from the Entry Tool into the Archive
• Provides a mechanism for standardizing data
  across many projects
• Flags possible errors

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System of Databases

• The Archive Database
• Stores restoration and reference data
• Compliant with new national standards

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System of Databases

• The Viewer Tool
• View data in the Entry Tool or Archive database
• Export data in configurable formats
• Summarize data as standard reports, flagging
  areas that need attention
• Map plots to confirm locations

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Entry Tool Features

• Contractors use the Entry Tool to digitize
  organize data.
• Organizes the entry process into one place
• Can calculate number of required plots for a
  project
• Efficient data entry at all CVS Levels
• Forms mimic paper datasheets
• Lookup data (species, locations) quickly
• Avoid redundant typing.
• Flags possible errors for resolution
• Reports summarize final data
• New datasheets printed for future monitoring
• SAVES TIME MONEY, DELIVERS HIGHER QUALITY DATA!

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How many plots required?

• Create a new project.
• Calculate number of plots needed based on
• The project dimensions (any units)
• The project area (any units)
• EEP requirements

Organization
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Efficient Planted Stem Entry
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Catch Errors Early

• Data automatically checked for errors as entered.

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Datasheets prepared for next year
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Stems mapped for easy resampling
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Second-year entry twice as fast
You don't have to retype data that is known from
last year.
The cursor stops only on the few fields with
solid borders.
Efficiency
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Scalable Different data levels

• Data displayed to match plot sampling level
• Shows what you need hides what you don't.
• Can "upgrade" plots to a higher level
• Initially level 1 later level 2 to record
  natural vegetation, perhaps on to higher levels.

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Level 1 Basic Plot Data - planted stems only
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Level 2 Natural Stems
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Level 5 Very complex data community
classification
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Reports generated by entry tool

• Data summarized with click of a button
• Multiple configuration options available
• Reports based on a single year or multiple years
• Reports based on a single project or multiple
  projects

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Summary Report
Matrix of plots, species, and number of stems
(This page shows 3 of 10 to 12 worksheets in the
Report)
Summary of Stem Vigor
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Mapping of Plots
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Spotting Outliers
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5. Data analysis

• CVS reports
• Datasheets for monitoring
• Survival growth of planted stems
• Direction of compositional change
• Rate of compositional change
• Problems needing attention (e.g., stem mortality,
  exotic species)
• The data and services provided by CVS improve the
  likelihood that vegetation within monitored sites
  is developing towards a pre-defined reference
  condition.

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Example multi-year report
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Project summary report
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Additional benefits

• Restoration targets
• High quality, detailed, for all vegetation types
• Increases likelihood of on-time completion
• Anticipates future standards
• Uniquely able to handle rare species and
  communities
• Protocols and tools greatly improve efficiency
• Training improves efficiency
• Data management minimizes errors and anticipates
  problems
• Data analysis keeps EEP informed of trajectory of
  each project and quality of contractor services.
• Financial benefits
• Free 100,000 senior staff time per year
• Free 35,000 volunteer field-worker time per
  year
• Free 125,000 in annual prescriptions for sites
  (502500)

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Looking forward to continued collaboration