planting templates

how to effectively restore native vegetation is something of an open ended question at this point. it is difficult to measure success, especially when the initial goal is unclear. when you add the complexity of volunteer planting, native stock availability, and both micro and mega fauna, what does it mean to plant a native dune riparian community? my professor Joe McBride has suggested the idea of a "planting template." this is the smallest structural and species-ratio balanced unit that can be repeated (flipping and rotating are key) to achieve the highest likelihood of a long-term native plant community in the targeted area.