Climate Smart Restoration Tool
Restoring species diversity is crucial to maintaining ecological functions and services
View Climate Smart Restoration Tool (climaterestorationtool.org)
Client
Background
Purpose:
To build a simplified mapping tool that will match seedlots with planting sites and planting sites with seeds based on climatic information.
Why?:
Previously built by CBI, the Seedlot Selection tool (screenshot below), was created for folks with expert knowledge, like forest managers. For those with less expertise, the Seedlot Selection Tool is more difficult to use, in terms of understanding all the criterias to select.
Research:
Collaborated with Chief Project Officer, Software Engineering Manager, and National Forest Service team to understand user needs.
The National Forest Service team also provided scope context through their research paper.
Goal:
Create a simplified version of the Seedlot Selection Tool, with “less knobs and whistles”
Provide guidance for seed transfer by identifying areas with analogous climate for current and midcentury time periods
Assess potential species for ecosystem restoration using compiled species data from vegetation inventory plots
Infer vegetation transitions over time using current and midcentury climate to predict changes in species frequencies
Target audience
Restoration practitioners, managers from federal and tribal entities, such as seed orchard managers
Project objectives and success metrics
Increase the ease of use for non-experts so that more diverse species can be used in restoration programs.
Increase guidance for current and future seed transfer and vegetation transitions.
Design Ideations
Deliverables
Hi-fidelity desktop and mobile designs and prototype to the engineering team
Outcome
View Climate Smart Restoration Tool (climaterestorationtool.org)
