Sacramento Fish & Wildlife Office
Guidelines for Conducting and Reporting Botanical Inventories for
Federally Listed, Proposed and Candidate Plants

(September 23, 1996)

(For surveys on the Santa Rosa Plain, see Guidelines for Conducting and Reporting Botanical Inventories on the Santa Rosa Plain HTML PDF

These guidelines describe protocols for conducting botanical inventories for federally listed, proposed and candidate plants, and describe minimum standards for reporting results. The Service will use, in part, the information outlined below in determining whether the project under consideration may affect any listed, proposed, or candidate plants, and in determining the direct, indirect, and cumulative effects.

Field inventories should be conducted in a manner that will locate listed, proposed, or candidate species (target species) that may be present. The entire project area requires a botanical inventory, except developed agricultural lands. The field investigator(s) should:

  1. Conduct inventories at the appropriate times of year when target species are present and identifiable. Inventories will include all potential habitats. Multiple site visits during a field season may be necessary to make observations during the appropriate phenological stage of all target species.

  2. If available, use a regional or local reference population to obtain a visual image of the target species and associated habitat(s). If access to reference populations(s) is not available, investigators should study specimens from local herbaria.

  3. List every species observed and compile a comprehensive list of vascular plants for the entire project site. Vascular plants need to be identified to a taxonomic level which allows rarity to be determined.

  4. Report results of botanical field inventories that include:

    1. a description of the biological setting, including plant community, topography, soils, potential habitat of target species, and an evaluation of environmental conditions, such as timing or quantity of rainfall, which may influence the performance and expression of target species.

    2. a map of project location showing scale, orientation, project boundaries, parcel size, and map quadrangle name

    3. survey dates and survey methodology(ies)

    4. if a reference population is available, provide a written narrative describing the target species reference population(s) used, and date(s) when observations were made

    5. a comprehensive list of all vascular plants occurring on the project site for each habitat type

    6. current and historic land uses of the habitat(s) and degree of site alteration

    7. presence of target species off-site on adjacent parcels, if known

    8. an assessment of the biological significance or ecological quality of the project site in a local and regional context

  5. If target species is(are) found, report results that additionally include:
    1. a map showing federally listed, proposed and candidate species distribution as they relate to the proposed project

    2. if target species is (are) associated with wetlands, a description of the direction and integrity of flow of surface hydrology. If target species is (are) affected by adjacent off-site hydrological influences, describe these factors.

    3. the target species phenology and microhabitat, an estimate of the number of individuals of each target species per unit area; identify areas of high, medium and low density of target species over the project site, and provide acres of occupied habitat of target species. Investigators could provide color slides, photos or color copies of photos of target species or representative habitats to support information or descriptions contained in reports.

    4. the degree of impact(s), if any, of the proposed project as it relates to the potential unoccupied habitat of target habitat.

  6. Document findings of target species by completing California Native Species Field Survey Form(s) and submit form(s) to the Natural Diversity Data Base. Documentation of determinations and/or voucher specimens may be useful in cases of taxonomic ambiguities, habitat or range extensions.

  7. Report as an addendum to the original survey, any change in abundance and distribution of target plants in subsequent years. Project sites with inventories older than 3 years from the current date of project proposal submission will likely need additional survey. Investigators need to assess whether an additional survey(s) is (are) needed.

  8. Adverse conditions may prevent investigator(s) from determining presence or identifying some target species in potential habitat(s) of target species. Disease, drought, predation, or herbivory may preclude the presence or identification of target species in any year. An additional botanical inventory(ies) in a subsequent year(s) may be required if adverse conditions occur in a potential habitat(s). Investigator(s) may need to discuss such conditions.

  9. Guidance from California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) regarding plant and plant community surveys can be found in Guidelines for Assessing the Effects of Proposed Developments on Rare and Endangered Plants and Plant Communities, 1984. Please contact the CDFG Regional Office for questions regarding the CDFG guidelines and for assistance in determining any applicable State regulatory requirements.



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