Ecological restoration aims to restore the processes, structure, and functions that maintain biodiversity within an ecosystem. However, restoration outcomes are currently unpredictable with a considerable amount of variation between sites that have been restored using similar methods. The science of restoration ecology aims to use ecological theory to better understand this variation and to build more effective restoration practices. This project will focus on the variability in restoration outcomes in oak woodlands in the Chicago-region. Agricultural land-use changes, habitat fragmentation, fire suppression, and invasive species have all contributed to the degradation of these woodlands.  Within the Forest Preserves of Cook County, land managers perform ecological restoration through the mechanical removal of invasive species, the seeding of native plant species, and the reintroduction of prescribed fire.  This summer, I will conduct plant community surveys and collect data on environmental variables in restored and unrestored oak woodlands within the Forest Preserves of Cook County. I will also use ArcGIS to assess the landscape characteristics of these sites.  I am interested in how understory plant community composition in oak woodlands is influenced by different management techniques, local and landscape site characteristics, land-use history, and species' interactions. Through this research, I aim to help build more effective management strategies in oak woodlands by increasing our understanding of the conditions and processes that influence understory plant community composition in this ecosystem.