2. Planning and Design

Good planning and design enable you to optimise and coordinate activities to achieve a multitude of goals at stand and at landscape or enterprise level. Without plans, decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis, what may still bring reasonable results on specific indicators for the single location. But for sure you will miss opportunities to optimize a broad range of restoration results at scale across landscapes and over time. 
Effective restoration planning and design - whether for individual landowners, large enterprises, or governments - requires integrating ecological, social, legal, and economic considerations across different scales. Based on the identification of restoration targets and goals, and an initial assessment of the forest area in question, your planning and design of the restoration activities can commence. This chapter summarizes some of the key elements that need to be considered, but a comprehensive plan must consider all aspects presented in this Restoration Journey. Besides addressing how to select sites suitable for restoration and considering specific restoration measures, the plan needs to consider financial and legal aspects, the role of stakeholders, as well as identifying risks that may threaten the success of the initiative. 
Finally, it is important to remember, the plan’s most important function is to communicate the outcome of the planning process to those people or organisations who will implement the plan, rather than recording the activity of the planner.