Stewards are faced with myriad considerations for managing sites in the face of limited time and resources. Therefore, understanding of factors that are most important for improving plant population growth rate and species persistence are likely to be useful. In this presentation, we will consider how genetic diversity is measured and what the data may indicate about important aspects of populations: genetic diversity, levels of inbreeding, as well as, historical gene flow/connectivity amongst populations. Case studies will be assessed relative to published potential action plans that could justifiably be enacted depending on the patterns of genetic variation that exist and the philosophical goals of a project. Finally, we will discuss the potential relevance of local adaptation and whether considerations of it are important for stewardship strategies.