Date of Completion
5-14-2025
Degree Type
Honors Thesis
Discipline
Environmental Science (ENVS)
First Advisor
Dr. Demian Willette
Abstract
Ascot Hills Park is an urban park in the El Sereno neighborhood of east Los Angeles that has undergone continuous restoration efforts to reintroduce California native trees and shrubs from 2011-2025. This study seeks to understand how a 14 year period of continuous restoration by a variety of stakeholders has changed the park by asking the following question: How has native plant cover changed over time? To answer this question, the change in percent native plant cover at the park from 2011-2025 was quantified using satellite imagery and machine learning software in ArcGIS Pro. Satellite images and ArcGIS Pro were also used to create a series of maps that visualize all the restoration efforts carried out by various stakeholders at the park over time. Native plant cover was shown to have significantly increased both visually and quantitatively by 93.3% within this time period, demonstrating that restoration at Ascot Hills Park has been successful. The restoration maps created within this project will be provided to restoration stakeholders as a record of their significant efforts and to inform future methods of restoration. This study provides a unique addition to the literature by examining continuous restoration at a single urban park in Los Angeles over an extended period. This study also quantifies the success of ongoing restoration efforts and informs future restoration strategies in order to increase the valuable ecosystem services that Ascot Hills Park provides to a disadvantaged neighborhood of Los Angeles found to have inadequate park access.
Recommended Citation
Siglar, Alexa and Willette, Demian A., "Quantifying 14 Years of Restoration Impact at a Los Angeles Park Using Remote Sensing" (2025). Honors Thesis. 593.
https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/honors-thesis/593
