Ecological Planning Tools
Plan quantities, compare options, and know when the site needs a closer look.
Practical native plant and seed calculators for spacing, custom seed specifications, seed and plug augmentation, CRP seed planning, solar vegetation area, and floristic quality. Each tool opens on its own page so you can focus on one task at a time.
Use the calculators free, then enter your email to download your plan and submit it to Natural Communities for a quote. Optional project details can be expanded when needed.
Plug & Plant Density Calculator
Convert square feet or acres into a grand total of plants. Compare spacing, plants per square foot, and equivalent flats—or tally a combination of flat sizes.
Calculate plants & plugs →Species & Custom Mix Seed Calculator
Build a seed specification for one species or a custom mix. Enter your area, species and rates to calculate project weights, live seeds per square foot, and composition by seed count and weight.
Download your specification after submitting an email and quote request. Confirm actual seed-lot specifications before ordering.
Calculate seed specifications →Seed Mix & Augmentation Planner
Start with a published Natural Communities mix, estimate seed quantities, pair suitable zones with Warrior Plant collections, and record requested mix changes for review.
Plan seed & augmentation →Solar Vegetation Area Calculator
Estimate planned vegetation area and organize the information needed for a custom solar seed mix and long-term vegetation-management conversation.
Scope a solar project →Chicago Mean C & FQI Calculator
Calculate Mean C, Native Mean C, Total FQI and Native FQI from a table of Chicago-region C-values and native status that you have verified. Includes duplicate checks and an input audit.
This version requires supplied classifications; automatic species-name lookup is not included. Proposed planting lists are kept separate from observed inventories.
Calculate Mean C & FQI →CRP Seed Planning & Quote Tool
Choose Illinois, Indiana or Wisconsin, enter project acreage and the prescribed rate from your seeding plan, and prepare a seed quantity summary for a quote.
State selection connects you to seed options. Requirements and acceptance are confirmed through your USDA conservation plan.
Plan CRP seed quantities →Download your plan & request a quote.
Use any calculator free. When your plan is ready, choose Download & request a quote and enter your email. Your specification and contact information go to Natural Communities for follow-up about materials or services and pricing.
After successful submission, download the CSV or print/save your plan as a PDF. Only your email is required; name, location, timing and other project details are optional.
This is a quote request, not an order or a newsletter subscription. The file downloads in your browser; it is not automatically emailed to you.
Calculations are a starting point—not a restoration plan.
The quantity tools do not evaluate your site's hydrology, invasive-species control, site preparation, erosion, installation methods or long-term management. Augmentation guidance is not a prediction of restoration success.
Floristic-quality results describe the list and classifications supplied. They are not an automatic county stormwater-ordinance compliance determination or a substitute for field assessment.
For site-specific decisions, Natural Communities can help connect plant and seed selection with budgets, phasing, establishment and adaptive stewardship.
Explore ecological consultation →Which tool should I use?
Planting plugs or a native garden? Use the plant calculator. Enter the actual area to be planted, excluding paths and other unplanted spaces.
Calculating seed quantities for individual species or a custom mix? Use the Species & Custom Mix Seed Calculator. Enter your species and rates, choose a Pure Live Seed (PLS) or bulk-weight basis, and export the resulting specification. Add seed-count data to calculate live seed density and composition by seed count.
Choosing a standard seed mix and supplemental plants? Use the seed and augmentation planner. Wet prairie and marsh projects include cross-links for appropriate transition zones. River and stream applications use Wet Prairie as the recommended seed base.
Planning a CRP seed order? Use the CRP seed planner to choose your state, record approved-plan requirements and estimate seed quantities for an inquiry.
Working on a solar array? Use the solar area calculator. It deliberately does not prescribe a seed recipe or judge whether a vegetation plan will succeed.
Calculating floristic quality? Use the verified-input FQA worksheet. Supply accepted names, C-values and regional native status from one appropriate Chicago-region dataset. Confirm the required source and sampling protocol with the reviewing agency before regulatory use.
Already know what you need? Shop native seed mixes · Browse native plants · Wholesale information
From a planning estimate to the right materials
Use a calculator to organize quantities, then shop available native plants and seed mixes or send your summary for a project quote. For custom work, include location, acreage, species or mix preferences, source requirements and delivery timing.
Wholesale and professional customers: start here · Explore ecological consultation
Ecological planning support is available from Nick Fuller, Principal Ecological Officer, whose restoration experience dates to 2004. Natural Communities connects native plant and seed sourcing with site-specific ecological guidance.
READ OUR REVIEWS
Daniel
Daniel
★★★★★
Natural communities and specifically Nick has been an
excellent and knowledgeable entity to work with on my big project. With the
help of my school, my students, many community partners, and Natural
Communities, we are in the process of restoring an area on a high school campus
to a natural prairie/pond area. Nick has come out to do site visits, he has
recommended various plant species that would work best for us, and he has been
able to get us what we want wholesale. Our site is not an easy project because
we are restricted to only native plants and native seeds and Natural
Communities has excelled in meeting our needs on this. Overall, I am so glad we
ended up working with Natural Communities because they have helped so much.
Ron
Ron
★★★★★
Our company has worked with Nick Fuller since before he
became Chief Ecological Officer for Natural Communities, LLC. His
knowledge of native plants and native seeds is remarkable. Nick was the
original steward of our 4-acre wildflower/wild grass prairie and has served us
as a reliable consultant ever since 2006. His continuing insights have
helped us to maintain and grow a healthy ecosystem.
Kathy
Kathy
★★★★★
I am extremely pleased with the one hour consultation I had
with Nick Fuller regarding our wetland creek. We have invasive plants and
grasses that have taken over our creek bed and we needed guidance on how to
both effectively remove the invasives and restore the area with native
plants suitable for the creek. Nick asked pertinent questions that allowed Nick
to identify plants and shrubs suitable for the area with a timeline for
planting. Nick also provided a detailed outline of the steps needed to remove the
invasives. I highly recommend Nick to anyone seeking help with their native
plant garden or to anyone interested in growing a native plant garden.
Shane
Shane
★★★★★
Spoke to owner in depth regarding a couple of different
projects I’m working on- very knowledgeable and professional. I plan on
purchasing seed for my projects through Natural Communities and will follow up
in the future if necessary. Highly recommend for native/natural projects!