Understanding the factors that contribute to plant species distributions in abandoned fields undergoing secondary succession is important for natural resource inventories of the present and for predictions of future ecological change. A study like this one can promote a better understanding of how fundamental geological controls such as land surface morphology, soils, and hydrology influence plant distributions and their changes with time. Consequently, the research findings may facilitate prediction of plant community changes from soils or surficial geology maps. These results can serve to refine existing natural resource inventory and vegetation potential models.

In addition, this type of project can provide information to estimate Carbon sequestration potential which can lead to a better understanding of the Carbon cycle and its impacts on Global climate change.