The Landscape Similarity Toolbox: New tools for optimizing the location of control sites in experimental studies

Large-scale manipulative experiments are critically important for linking ecological theory with land management at a relevant spatial scale. Statistically powerful inferential approaches such as the before-after-control-impact design involve pairing a small number of treatment sites with control sites of analogous ecological structure and landscape context. Pairing treatment and control sites that are as analogous as possible is an important step to ensuring that differences are due to a treatment effect. The Landscape Similarity Toolbox provides tools for optimizing the location of potential control sites based upon the spatial characteristics of the treatment site.