NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY - for Rehabilitation and Restoration 2015-2020

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NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY - for Rehabilitation and Restoration 2015-2020
NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY
        for Rehabilitation
          and Restoration

               2015–2020
NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY - for Rehabilitation and Restoration 2015-2020
The Plant Conservation Alliance (PCA) is a
public-private partnership of organizations that
share the same goal: to protect native plants by
ensuring that native plant populations and their
communities are maintained, enhanced, and
restored. The PCA Federal Committee, chaired
by the Bureau of Land Management, developed
the “National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation
and Restoration 2015-2020” in cooperation with
Federal and non-Federal partners.

For more information on the Plant Conservation Alliance and its members and activities,
please visit http://www.blm.gov/pca.

Copies of this publication may be obtained online at www.blm.gov/seedstrategy.

BLM/WO/GI-15/012+7400
NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY - for Rehabilitation and Restoration 2015-2020
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1           Goal 3: Develop Tools that Enable Managers to
           Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3    Make Timely, Informed Seeding Decisions for
The Four Goals of the “National Seed Strategy for                                                             Ecological Restoration  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
  Rehabilitation and Restoration”  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4                                         Background/Rationale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Background and Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7                                         Objective 3.1: Develop Training Programs for
Strategy Vision and Mission  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9                               		    Practitioners, Producers, and Stakeholders
     Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9        		    on the Use of Genetically Appropriate Seed
     Mission  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9          		    for Restoration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Guiding Values and Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11                                     Objective 3.2: Develop Native Seed Source
Goal 1: Identify Seed Needs, and Ensure                                                                      		    Availability Data and Tools for Accessing
 the Reliable Availability of Genetically                                                                    		    the Data  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
 Appropriate Seed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13                         Objective 3.3: Integrate and Develop Science
  Background/Rationale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13                              		    Delivery Tools to Support Restoration
  Objective 1.1: Assess the Seed Needs of Federal                                                            		    Project Development and
		    Agencies and the Capacity of Private and                                                               		Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
		    Federal Producers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13                               Objective 3.4: Build on Ecological Assessments
  Objective 1.2: Assess Capacity and Needs                                                                   		    and Disturbance Data, and Provide Training
		    of Tribes, States, Private Sector Seed                                                                 		    that will Allow Managers to Anticipate
		    Producers, Nurseries, and                                                                              		    Needs and Establish Spatially-Explicit
		    Other Partners  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15                         		    Contingency Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
  Objective 1.3: Increase the Supply and                                                                     Goal 4: Develop Strategies for Internal and
		    Reliable Availability of Genetically                                                                    External Communication  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
		    Appropriate Seed  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17                                   Background/Rationale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Goal 2: Identify Research Needs and Conduct                                                                        Objective 4.1: External Communications:
 Research to Provide Genetically Appropriate                                                                 		        Conduct Education and Outreach
 Seed and to Improve Technology for Native                                                                   		        through the Plant Conservation
 Seed Production and Ecosystem                                                                               		        Alliance Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
 Restoration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19                    Objective 4.2: Internal Communications:
  Background/Rationale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19                              		        Distribute and Implement the Strategy
  Objective 2.1: Characterize Genetic Variation                                                              		        Across Agencies, and Provide
		    of Restoration Species to Delineate Seed                                                               		        Feedback Mechanisms  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
		    Zones, and Provide Seed Transfer                                                                             Objective 4.3: Report Progress, Recognize
		    Guidelines for Current and Projected                                                                   		        Achievements, and Revise Strategy . . . . . . . . . . 36
		    Future Environmental Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . 19                                             Literature Cited  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
  Objective 2.2: Conduct Species-Specific                                                                    Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
		    Research to Provide Seed Technology,                                                                   Glossary  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
		    Storage, and Production Protocols for                                                                  Appendix: Action Summary Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
		    Restoration Species  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20                                    Organization Acronyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
  Objective 2.3: Conduct Research on Plant                                                                         Goal 1 Summary Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
		    Establishment, Species Interactions,                                                                         Goal 2 Summary Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
		    and Ecological Restoration  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22                                           Goal 3 Summary Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
  Objective 2.4: Develop or Modify Monitoring                                                                      Goal 4 Summary Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
  Techniques, and Investigate Long-Term
  Restoration Impacts and Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

                                                                      NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020                                                                           i
NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY - for Rehabilitation and Restoration 2015-2020
ii   NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020
NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY - for Rehabilitation and Restoration 2015-2020
INTRODUCTION
In 2012, more than 2 million acres of important          of native seed collectors, a network of farmers
sagebrush habitat burned in four Western States.         and growers working to develop seed, a network
In the East, Hurricane Sandy caused not only             of nurseries and seed storage facilities to supply
widespread damage to homes and businesses, but           adequate quantities of appropriate seed, and a
also to native plant communities that stabilized soils   network of restoration ecologists who know how to
and filtered water. Three years later, many of these     put the right seed in the right place at the right time.
eastern and western lands are still in need of basic
stabilization, rehabilitation, or other restoration      Achieving this will require additional investments,
treatments.                                              research, improved decision tools, and enhanced
                                                         communication. But most importantly, successful
The “National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and       implementation of this Strategy will require the
Restoration 2015-2020” (Strategy) will provide           active participation of a diverse set of public and
a more coordinated approach for stabilization,           private partners. Increased coordination is vital to
rehabilitation, and restoration treatments. It           accelerate the pace and scale of restoration and
provides a framework for actively working with the       provide native plant materials when and where
private sector in order to build a “seed industry” for   they are needed. To that end, this Strategy will help
rehabilitation and restoration. This will help address   coordinate the efforts of tribal, state, Federal, local,
future challenges so that we, as a Nation, will be       and private entities to restore plant communities
better prepared to respond appropriately to large-       that have been altered by natural or human-caused
scale disturbances and other stressors that threaten     events.
important plant communities and the ecosystem
services they provide on Federal, state, local, and      This Strategy recognizes the importance of healthy
private land. These stressors include the spread         native plant communities as an essential foundation
of invasive plant species, altered wildfire regimes,     for ecosystem integrity and diversity. Healthy native
habitat modification, land overuse, and climate          plant communities create habitat for animals;
change.                                                  provide ecosystem services that sustain people,
                                                         their communities, and their economies; and have
This Strategy also provides guidance for, and            intrinsic and irreplaceable biotic value that will
implements a number of, major national initiatives,      become increasingly important in the future.
such as the President’s Climate Action Plan; National
Fish, Wildlife & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy      Restoring native plant communities on a landscape
(NFWPCAP 2012); National Strategy to Promote             scale poses special challenges. Land managers
the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators           must often replant large acreages quickly to avoid
(Pollinator Health Task Force 2015); Department          severe erosion or colonization by nonnative invasive
of the Interior (DOI) Secretarial Orders 3330 on         plants. Adding to the challenges are the expense
mitigation and 3336 on rangeland fire; and Executive     and difficulty of obtaining and delivering adequate
Order 13112 on invasive species.                         quantities of appropriate seed to meet the need,
                                                         which is often difficult to predict. This seed must be
Success on a national scale will be achieved through     available for use at the right time and in the right
coordinated establishment of a nationwide network        place.

                                     NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020          1
NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY - for Rehabilitation and Restoration 2015-2020
To the extent practicable,
                                 utilize locally-adapted
                                 seeds and native plant
                                 materials appropriate to
                                 the location, conditions,
                                 and management
                                 objectives for vegetation
                                 management and
                                 restoration activities,
                                 including strategic
                                 sourcing for acquiring,
                                 storing, and utilizing
                                 genetically-appropriate        The Departments of Agriculture and the Interior shall
                                 seeds and other plant          establish a reserve of native seed mixes, including
                                                                pollinator-friendly plants, for use on post-fire
                                 materials native to
                                                                rehabilitation projects and other restoration activities.
                                 the sagebrush-steppe
                                 ecosystem.
                                                                                 PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM:
                        SECRETARIAL ORDER NO. 3336              Creating a Federal Strategy to Promote the Health
               Rangeland Fire Prevention, Management           of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators, June 20, 2014
                      and Restoration, January 5, 2015
                                                              As the lead agency on the Plant Conservation
    Great strides have been made in developing                Alliance (PCA) Federal Committee, the Bureau of
    seed reserves and infrastructure to support land          Land Management (BLM) worked closely with the
    managers. However, there is a need for more               PCA and others to develop this Strategy. The goals
    coordinated and focused research, development,            and objectives resulted from the June 2014 Seed
    and technology transfer to provide genetically            Conference held in Washington, D.C., that brought
    appropriate seed and seedlings for stabilizing and        together Federal agency leadership. The PCA is an
    restoring damaged and degraded areas. Genetically         umbrella organization of 12 Federal agencies and
    appropriate plant materials are environmentally           more than 300 non-Federal partners who work
    adapted to a restoration site and are likely to           together to conserve and restore native plant
    establish, survive, and promote community and             populations and communities across the United
    ecological relationships. In addition, more stringent     States.
    assessment is needed for determining seed quality,
    and seed suppliers need to be encouraged to               This Strategy builds on the achievements and
    continue producing high-quality seed in agricultural      progress made through efforts such as the BLM’s
    settings while maintaining genetic diversity. The         interagency Native Plant Materials Development
    use of high-quality, genetically appropriate seed,        Program (including Seeds of Success), the U.S.
    along with improved restoration equipment and             Forest Service’s Native Plant Restoration Program,
    methodologies, will result in more successful             the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Plant
    restoration of plant communities. The transition to       Materials Program that includes 27 plant materials
    a reliance on native plant materials will be guided       centers from Hawaii and Alaska to New Jersey and
    by coordinated efforts in fundamental and applied         Florida established in 1935 to address the needs
    research. This strategy envisions that the collective     described in this strategy, the Agricultural Research
    resources of participating agencies could support         Service’s National Plant Germplasm System, and
    basic science needs of all the partners. In addition,     other public/private efforts to conserve native plant
    new decision support tools and monitoring                 diversity.
    applications will aid managers throughout the
    restoration process from planning through                 The PCA Federal Committee is developing a
    implementation to effectiveness monitoring.               business plan to accompany this Strategy. This

2   NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020
NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY - for Rehabilitation and Restoration 2015-2020
business plan will not create a government-run seed        restoration. Use of genetically appropriate plant
business. It will include anticipated costs of Strategy    materials is encouraged; however, this Strategy does
implementation so that Federal partners can develop        not preclude the use of nonnative plant materials
an interagency budget initiative and so that non-          where they are appropriate.
Federal partners can determine opportunities to
raise non-Federal funds to support the Strategy’s          With almost 30 percent of U.S. lands under
work.                                                      Federal management, this Strategy encourages
                                                           large-scale habitat restoration on Federal lands;
                                                           however, smaller scale restoration will benefit

    Scope                                                  from large-scale public investment in commercial
                                                           native seed production. Ultimately, this Strategy
                                                           will benefit U.S. landscapes by recognizing and
This Strategy is national in scope and engages both        supporting the ecosystem services provided by
Federal and non-Federal partners working toward            plant communities such as clean air, clean water,
restoration on public, tribal, state, municipal, and       temperature regulation, and carbon storage. The
private lands. While the Strategy will be renewed in       Strategy also supports additional benefits of healthy
5-year cycles, its actions will affect landscapes and      plant communities such as aesthetics, recreational
habitats far into the future. The plants of interest       opportunities, food, fiber, and potential commercial
are forbs (wildflowers), shrubs, and grasses that are      products, as well as habitat for other organisms and
used in ecological restoration. The Strategy does not      species, from pollinators to game species.
address federally or state-listed species, rare endemic
plants, or commercial timber species. Products and         One outcome of the Strategy is the creation of a
collaborations developed through the Strategy              national network of native seed reserves and storage
will help land managers select appropriate plant           facilities (Federal, tribal, state, local, and private
materials to use in public and private ecological          facilities) that would serve all partners and provide
restoration efforts at all scales.                         storage capabilities. This network would support
                                                           the 2014 Presidential Memorandum on pollinators
The Strategy aims to provide all land managers—            and help increase the availability of native seed to a
Federal, tribal, state, county, private, and               broader user base.
nongovernmental organization—the tools they need
to address ecological restoration across the United        This Strategy does not set agency policy—many
States. The Strategy seeks to develop seed and other       agencies have different authorizing legislation or
plant materials1 that will meet long-term goals to         charters, missions, and policies—but it supports the
maintain and improve the biological and physical           science and values the use of native plant materials
conditions at a site, ranging from reclamation to          in land management activities.
1
  The term “plant materials” encompasses seed as well as
other plant materials, including seedlings and container
stock.

                                        NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020       3
NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY - for Rehabilitation and Restoration 2015-2020
THE FOUR GOALS
         of the “National Seed Strategy for
          Rehabilitation and Restoration”
      GOAL 1                                              GOAL 2

                                                           Identify research needs and conduct
                                                              research to provide genetically
       Identify seed needs, and ensure the                   appropriate seed and to improve
        reliable availability of genetically              technology for native seed production
                 appropriate seed.                              and ecosystem restoration.

      GOAL 3                                              GOAL 4

      Develop tools that enable managers
       to make timely, informed seeding                     Develop strategies for internal and
      decisions for ecological restoration.                     external communication.

4   NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020
NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY - for Rehabilitation and Restoration 2015-2020
Native plant communities, especially
                                 those containing perennial native
                                 grasses and forbs essential to ecosystem
                                 integrity and diversity, provide ecosystem
                                 services that sustain wildlife, such
                                 as greater sage-grouse and native
                                 pollinators. Perennial grasses are the
                                 best competitors with invasive annual
                                 grasses and promote resilience. A reliable
                                 supply of genetically appropriate and
                                 locally adapted seed, as well as seeding
                                 technology and equipment, is needed
                                 for effective restoration of the sagebrush-
                                 steppe ecosystem.

                 “An Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy,”
                  Final Report to the Secretary of the Interior, May 2015

NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020          5
NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY - for Rehabilitation and Restoration 2015-2020
6   NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020
BACKGROUND
              AND DEVELOPMENT
The critical shortage of native plant materials          Program and Native Plant Restoration Program. For
available for seeding following the extensive            example, provisional and species-specific seed zones
wildfires of 1999 and 2000 led Congress to direct the    are increasingly being used to guide the selection
BLM and U.S. Forest Service to facilitate development    of genetically appropriate seed for ecological
of a long-term program to provide a stable and           restoration projects, thereby increasing the potential
economical supply of native plant materials for          for success (Rogers and Montalvo 2004; Johnson
restoration and rehabilitation efforts on public lands   et al. 2010). The National Vegetation Classification,
(USC HR 2000). The U.S. Forest Service and BLM           adopted by the Federal Geographic Data Committee,
responded to this by establishing the Native Plant       provides a standard approach to describe plant
Restoration Program and the Native Plant Materials       species assemblages throughout the Nation in the
Development Program. The immediate focus was             full range of environmental settings (FGDC 2008).
to increase the availability of diverse native plant     Seed production research has provided agricultural
materials and to foster more efficient management        practices for growing a wider array of restoration
of that supply.                                          species, while improved equipment, seeding and
                                                         planting technologies, and decision tools provide
The fiscal year 2002 House report on appropriations      users with greater flexibility when dealing with
for the Department of the Interior (USDI) and related    complex seeding mixes and site conditions (DOI BLM
agencies reiterated Congress’ order to the agencies      2009). Importantly, Seeds of Success collection teams
to “continue to implement the long-term program          have made more than 15,000 native seed collections
to manage and supply native plant materials for use      covering more than 5,000 taxa for use in developing
in various Federal land management restoration           native seed crops and ex situ conservation (Haidet
and rehabilitation needs” (USC HR 2001). In April        and Olwell 2015).
2002, the DOI and U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) issued the “Report to the Congress:               Multiple agencies (Federal, state, tribal, and local),
Interagency Program to Supply and Manage Native          nongovernmental organizations, private sector
Plant Materials for Restoration and Rehabilitation       industries, and universities are collaborating through
on Federal Lands” (DOI & USDA 2002), which               ecoregional programs to provide plant materials
called for a commitment to native plant materials        suitable for restoration in specific ecoregions. The
research, production, and use that included a            Great Basin Native Plant Project led by the U.S. Forest
recommendation for financial and organizational          Service and BLM, for example, was established
support from the DOI and USDA. In this report, the       in 2002 (Shaw et al. 2012). Its goal is to increase
DOI and USDA also stated their intent to improve         seed availability and develop the knowledge and
and expand partnerships in cooperation with the          technology to restore native plant communities
private seed and nursery industry, develop and           across millions of acres of burned lands, with a
enhance science delivery to practitioners, and           focus on restoring native sagebrush habitat and
expand outreach and education to the general             increasing native forb production. Partners in the
public.                                                  Colorado Plateau (Wood et al. 2015), Mojave Desert,
                                                         and Pacific Northwest (Riley et al. 2015; Erickson
The agencies have made great achievements since          2008) are conducting similar programs. Through
establishing the Native Plant Materials Development      BLM ecoregional programs alone, seed from more

                                    NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020          7
than 200 native plant populations have been made        and staff to initiate discussions on development of a
    available for restoration projects, conservation gene   national seed strategy to address long-term goals for
    banking, and commercial markets (DOI BLM 2009).         the program. The PCA Federal Committee served as
    To ensure coverage across the United States, these or   the steering committee for this Strategy. Members
    similar programs will need to be established in areas   of this committee, or their representatives, worked
    of the U.S. where they currently do not exist.          with agency experts on the seed supply, research,
                                                            decision tools, and communication teams to further
    Achievement of the long-term goals of the Native        develop priority objectives under the four goals
    Plant Materials Development Program will require        and collaborative actions for accomplishing these
    an even greater commitment to collaboration             objectives and to better describe outcomes.
    across agencies and with other partners to share
    expertise and facilities and to produce and use plant   Implementation of this Strategy will enhance
    materials more efficiently. Leaders of the 12 Federal   coordination and forge strong partnerships among
    agencies of the PCA met in Washington, D.C., in June    agencies, tribes, states, and nongovernmental
    2014 to celebrate 20 years of plant conservation        organizations, as well as with the private seed and
    collaboration and to renew the memorandum of            nursery industry. Such partnerships are vital to the
    understanding that established the partnership.         success of ecological restoration efforts throughout
    The meeting provided a forum for agency leaders         the United States.

8   NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020
STRATEGY
    VISION AND MISSION
Vision
 The right seed in the right place at the right time.

Mission
 To ensure the availability of genetically appropriate
     seed to restore viable and productive plant
     communities and sustainable ecosystems.

                 NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020   9
10   NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020
GUIDING VALUES
                     AND PRINCIPLES
   Native plant communities provide ecosystem              Interagency collaboration is essential to advance
    services that sustain people, communities, and           ecological management and research activities,
    their economies.                                         reduce costs, and avoid duplication.

   Native plant communities are key to ecosystem           Non-Federal partners, such as tribes, states, and
    integrity and resilience, and they provide               private sector and nonprofit organizations, make
    essential habitat and food sources for wildlife,         important and valuable contributions to the
    including pollinators.                                   development of native seed.

   Native plant communities have intrinsic and             The Strategy recognizes the value of using the
    irreplaceable biotic value that will become              native seed bank that exists in the soil; not all
    increasingly important in the future.                    disturbances require active reseeding to restore
                                                             habitat.
   Native seed is a critical natural resource asset
    that deserves greater recognition in light of the       The Strategy recognizes the value of partnering
    ecological challenges of the 21st century.               with a diverse group of stakeholders.

   Native, locally adapted seed sources are vital          Strategy participants support opportunities to:
    for restoration and management because they
    reflect the evolutionary and adaptive capability         • Maintain or increase the number of acres of native
    of plants in an area.                                      plant communities that provide ecosystem services.

                                                             • Include Federal, tribal, state, and local governments;
   Native plants, including crop wild relatives,              academic institutions; nonprofits; and the private
    contain unique properties, and the full benefit of         sector when addressing restoration issues.
    these may not yet be recognized but should be
    preserved for future generations.                        • Improve the availability of genetically appropriate
                                                               seed required to restore healthy native plant
                                                               communities and support other uses.
   Botanical, ecological, and genetic scientific
    expertise plays a vital role in providing                • Develop strategies and tools for conducting more
    information to support and guide ecological                effective restoration.
    restoration.
                                                             • Promote research, science delivery, and education
    Nonnative species and cultivars may be used                required to meet new restoration challenges
                                                              imposed by increasing threats.
    to achieve site stabilization, wildfire breaks,
    or invasive plant control. Their use should be           • Communicate the value of native plant communities
    limited to transitional, noninvasive species,              and restoration to stakeholders and the general
    replaced by natives in subsequent ecological               public.
    restoration or during natural successional
    processes.

                                     NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020              11
12   NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020
GOAL 1
                Identify Seed Needs, and Ensure the Reliable
                Availability of Genetically Appropriate Seed

 Background/                                              Objective
 Rationale                                                1.1
The ability of land managers to respond effectively      Assess the Seed Needs of Federal
to both emergency and planned restoration                Agencies and the Capacity of Private
needs—and to advance ecological management
and research activities—is highly dependent on the
                                                         and Federal Producers
reliable availability of genetically appropriate seed.   Increasing Federal agency use of native conservation
This requires comprehensive and integrated seed          seed will stimulate seed supply and also help
planning and production, as well as seed storage         smaller organizations and private landowners access
systems that provide sufficient quantities of suitable   more native plant materials. Actions under this
plant materials when and where they are needed.          objective will lead to a better understanding of the
Actions under this goal will assess seed needs and       overall capacity of Federal agencies to meet their
fulfillment capacities, with an eye toward targeting     stabilization, rehabilitation, and restoration needs
infrastructure investments, increasing coordinated       with native plant materials. The assessment will
wildland seed collection and field production, and       capture those needs that relate to current priorities
expanding cooperation and partnerships within and        for pollinators and climate change adaptation, as
among public and private sectors. Increased financial    well as projections for both planned restoration
and organizational support for achieving this work is    and emergency response. After the initial baseline
essential, as is coordinating and communicating with     assessment, agencies may repeat a revised needs
the private seed industry. A number of actions in        and capacity assessment every 5 years to provide
Goal 1 will inform actions in Goals 2 and 3.             measures of progress and inform priorities over
                                                         time as recommended under Objective 4.3 (Report
                                                         Progress, Recognize Achievements, and Revise
                                                         Strategy).

                                                         This objective also aims to evaluate existing
                                                         databases and reporting systems that can contribute
                                                         to the seed needs and capacity planning processes.
                                                         In the long-term (beyond 5-year timeframe), this
                                                         objective will seek to assess the conservation value
                                                         of existing collections (i.e., the genetic diversity
                                                         captured by current accessions) and take steps to
                                                         correct deficiencies.

                                    NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020        13
Action 1.1.1 Conduct an                 COORDINATING AGENCIES: Bureau of Land Management,
                      assessment of seed needs for all        U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service,
                      Federal agencies and their offices      U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Indian Affairs,
                      that provide or use seed.               U.S. Forest Service, National Institute of Food and
                                                              Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Natural
     This assessment will capture the types and quantities    Resources Conservation Service
                                                              OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Connecticut Department of
     of seed each Federal agency needs on an ecoregional
                                                              Energy and Environmental Protection – Natural Diversity
     basis for its restoration projects, including those      Data Base
     targeting pollinator habitat enhancement to comply
     with the Presidential Memorandum on pollinators.                          Action 1.1.3 Identify existing
     Agencies should seek to include all relevant program                      Federal seed and restoration
     areas and field offices that provide or use seed.                         policies and guidance.
     TARGET YEARS: 2015-2016
     COORDINATING AGENCIES: Bureau of Land Management,        This action will ensure that the Strategy captures
     U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service,   all current Federal policies related to development
     U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Indian Affairs,        and use of plant materials and restoration. Outputs
     U.S. Forest Service, National Institute of Food and      for this action will include identification of plant
     Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Natural      and restoration policy compatibilities, gaps, and
     Resources Conservation Service                           challenges across Federal agencies. This action
     OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Connecticut Department of Energy     provides information for actions in Goal 4, as well.
     and Environmental Protection – Natural Diversity
     Data Base                                                TARGET YEARS: 2015-2020
                                                              COORDINATING AGENCIES: Bureau of Land Management,
                      Action 1.1.2 Identify and inventory     U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service,
                      agency and private sector seed          U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Indian Affairs,
                      collections, nurseries, and storage     U.S. Forest Service, National Institute of Food and
                      capacity.                               Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Natural
                                                              Resources Conservation Service, Federal Highway
     This action will identify existing agency seed           Administration
     supplies and related staff, nurseries, storage           OTHER PARTICIPANTS: To be determined
     facilities, tools, equipment, and costs. It will seek
     information specifically on seed supplies that help                       Action 1.1.4 Analyze results of
     resist nonnative plant competition and that provide                       needs and capacity assessment to
     habitat for at-risk species, including pollinators. It                    determine if current Federal policies,
     will also identify strengths and weaknesses in seed                       seed collections, and storage and
     production and facilities networks and needs for                          production facilities meet agency
     new infrastructure, staffing, and training. Production                    needs.
     and facilities networks include nurseries, seed          Reviewing results to determine strengths and
     extractories, plant materials centers, and seed          correct weaknesses in Federal seed systems should
     production and storage facilities, some of which may     lead to specific actions to improve proactive short-
     be held by non-Federal partners (see Action 1.2.1).      and long-term planning capabilities and to ensure
                                                              agency staffing can respond to projected restoration
     Within this action, agencies will identify policies,
                                                              needs within the third year of implementing
     guidance, or publications that inform management
                                                              the Strategy. Seed and capacity needs could be
     practices for seed collection and production
                                                              prioritized by habitat (e.g., for species such as
     methods. Within the second year of implementing
                                                              pollinators and sage-grouse) and/or by seed zone.
     this action, Strategy implementers will have
     identified and catalogued agency infrastructure and      Other results of this action would include the
     will have evaluated databases and reporting systems      creation of a map of agency production and
     for seed use, seed inventory, and field performance      storage facilities, the evaluation of investment
     monitoring.                                              needs and seed use policies, and the discussion of
     TARGET YEARS: 2015-2016                                  concerns and benefits related to the use of native

14   NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020
plant materials. Actions to address deficiencies
should be incorporated under actions identified
under Objectives 1.2 and 1.3, and other goals, as          Objective
appropriate.

TARGET YEARS: 2016-2017
COORDINATING AGENCIES: Bureau of Land Management,
                                                           1.2
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service,   Assess Capacity and Needs of Tribes,
U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Indian Affairs,
U.S. Forest Service, National Institute of Food and      States, Private Sector Seed Producers,
Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Natural      Nurseries, and Other Partners
Resources Conservation Service, Federal Highway
Administration                                           To achieve this objective, agencies will work with
OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Institute for Applied Ecology        tribal, state, private sector, and nonprofit partners
                                                         and agricultural extension offices to assess non-
                 Action 1.1.5 Analyze results of
                                                         Federal-sector interest in and capacity to collect
                 assessment of restoration policies,
                                                         and produce native seed. Results of this objective
                 and develop a comprehensive
                                                         may lead to expanded contractor pools, changes in
                 restoration program with consistent
                                                         contract specifications and timelines to minimize risk
                 funding to restore native plant
                                                         and uncertainty, creation of an annual seed forum,
                 communities on a landscape scale
                                                         or the organization of field tours to grower farms.
                 across public lands.
                                                         Accomplishing this objective may require identifying
                                                         a regional liaison to work with farmers and seed
Using the output from Action 1.1.3, review results
                                                         producers to provide mechanisms for regular
of assessment of restoration policies to determine
                                                         communications regarding Federal seed needs, to
strengths and correct weaknesses in Federal
                                                         assist with equipment needs, and to help producers
restoration policies and to determine agency
                                                         navigate the Federal procurement system.
staffing so they can respond to projected restoration
needs within the third year of implementing the
Strategy. Other results of this action would include                      Action 1.2.1 Conduct a needs and
the development of a restoration program with                             capacity assessment of tribal, state,
consistent funding to consistently buy native                             local, private sector, and nonprofit
seed for restoring native plant communities on a                          seed storage and distribution
landscape scale. Actions to address deficiencies                          facilities.
should be incorporated under actions identified
under Objectives 1.2 and 1.3, and other goals, as        This assessment will capture the seed production
appropriate.                                             and storage capacity of non-Federal entities. This
                                                         action will require collaboration with partners who
TARGET YEARS: 2017-2018                                  can work with key sectors to obtain the necessary
COORDINATING AGENCIES: Bureau of Land Management,        information. Guidance developed to implement this
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service,   action should also elicit information on growers’
U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Indian Affairs,        expertise and ability to provide training about
U.S. Forest Service, National Institute of Food and      tools, techniques, and capacity for seed collection;
Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Natural      germination; and establishment of native plant
Resources Conservation Service                           communities. This assessment can also elicit
OTHER PARTICPANTS: NatureServe
                                                         information on states’ capacities to certify location
                                                         and origin, and it should gather information on
                                                         procurement processes. Upon obtaining collaborator
                                                         input, discrete milestones should be identified for
                                                         anticipated achievements within each of the first 5
                                                         years of implementing the Strategy.

                                                         TARGET YEARS: 2015-2020

                                    NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020         15
COORDINATING AGENCIES: Bureau of Indian Affairs,                           Action 1.2.3 Analyze results of
     Natural Resources Conservation Service                                     non-Federal needs and capacity
     OTHER PARTICIPANTS: American Seed Trade Association,                       assessment to determine if current
     Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Florida                        seed collections, as well as storage
     Association of Native Nurseries, Lady Bird Johnson
                                                                                and production facilities, meet
     Wildflower Center, Mid-Atlantic Regional Seed Bank, New
     England Wild Flower Society
                                                                                restoration needs.

                                                               Reviewing results to determine strengths and
                      Action 1.2.2 Work collaboratively        challenges in non-Federal seed systems will lead
                      with private seed producers,             to a better understanding of the non-Federal seed
                      nurseries, and other partners to         system capabilities. This review can inform agencies
                      leverage strengths and address           on how they could work with non-Federal partners
                      deficiencies in the distribution         to improve availability of seed in non-Federal
                      and availability of genetically          systems.
                      appropriate seed.
                                                               Actions to address deficiencies should be
     This action will identify training needs and              incorporated under actions identified under
     opportunities, such as working with seed producers        Objective 1.3, and other goals, as appropriate.
     to assist with smaller scale, niche market seed
                                                               TARGET YEARS: 2016-2017
     production. This action should also explore               COORDINATING AGENCIES: Bureau of Land Management,
     promoting a seed market system that is responsive         U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service,
     to regional native seed needs of the agencies (see        U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Indian Affairs,
     Objective 1.3). This action should result in a regular    U.S. Forest Service, National Institute of Food and
     assessment of collaboration efforts that can be           Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Natural
     summarized and shared. Outcomes under this action         Resources Conservation Service, Federal Highway
     might include identifying mechanisms to increase          Administration
     collaboration by 2017 and to overcome any barriers        OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Botanic Gardens Conservation
     to collaboration with the private sector by 2020.         International, Institute for Applied Ecology, Lady Bird
                                                               Johnson Wildflower Center
     TARGET YEARS: 2015-2020
     COORDINATING AGENCIES: Bureau of Land Management,
     U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service,
     U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Indian Affairs,
     U.S. Forest Service, National Institute of Food and
     Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Natural
     Resources Conservation Service
     OTHER PARTICIPANTS: American Seed Trade Association,
     Applied Ecological Services/Taylor Creek Restoration
     Nurseries, Botanic Gardens Conservation International,
     Florida Association of Native Nurseries, Institute for
     Applied Ecology, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center,
     Mid-Atlantic Regional Seed Bank, NatureServe

16   NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020
by seed zones and will increase the use of genetically

  Objective                                                  appropriate seed in both emergency and planned
                                                             restoration. This action will build upon research
                                                             emanating from other Strategy actions, such as
  1.3                                                        Action 2.1.1 (Conduct genetic research to develop
                                                             seed zones for key restoration species.), and may
                                                             include coordinating multiagency procurement
Increase the Supply and Reliable                             planning and seed sharing, where appropriate.
Availability of Genetically
Appropriate Seed                                             Existing regional seed banking networks between
                                                             growers and end users, such as the Deschutes Basin
The actions under this objective will require an             Native Plant Seedbank, U.S. Forest Service Northern
analysis of the seed needs and capacity assessments          Region seed cache, and Mid-Atlantic Regional Seed
completed under Objectives 1.1 and 1.2. Achieving            Bank, may serve as models for accomplishing this
these actions should include setting goals for               goal. This action should include considerations for
increasing collection, cleaning, testing, storage, and       creating (or improving) a national online database
application capacity. Accordingly, implementation            that provides source-identified seed availability.
needs should set goals for achieving these                   Note: Some databases already exist, as informed by
milestones under each action.                                Action 1.1.1.

                  Action 1.3.1 Expand and improve            TARGET YEARS: 2015-2020
                  facilities and plant production            COORDINATING AGENCIES: Bureau of Indian Affairs,
                                                             Bureau of Land Management, National Institute of Food
                  capacity.
                                                             and Agriculture, National Park Service, Natural Resources
                                                             Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S.
This action draws from the capacity and needs
                                                             Forest Service
assessments and will result in adequate facilities,          OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Chicago Botanic Garden, Florida
seed reserves, and plant production capacity to              Association of Native Nurseries, Mid-Atlantic Regional
meet seed needs. It will target expansion and                Seed Bank, New England Wild Flower Society
improvement of Federal and non-Federal capacity
and will also encourage the commercial seed                                     Action 1.3.3 Assess and implement
industry to enhance capacity, if necessary. This may                            alternative seed production
include new processes to streamline planning and                                methods for “workhorse” shrub
increase coordination for collecting, propagating,                              species to augment wildland seed
and sharing seed among the agencies, possibly                                   collection.
through a memorandum of understanding by 2020.
TARGET YEARS: 2015-2020
                                                             This action aims to increase the supply of genetically
COORDINATING AGENCIES: Bureau of Indian Affairs,
                                                             appropriate shrub seed. Alternatives might include
Bureau of Land Management, National Institute of Food
and Agriculture, National Park Service, Natural Resources    creation of shrub orchards (e.g., sagebrush or
Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S.   bitterbrush) or protection of wildland or private
Forest Service                                               land stands for commercial seed harvesting. Best
OTHER PARTICIPANTS: American Seed Trade Association,         management practices may need to be developed to
Chicago Botanic Garden, Florida Association of Native        preclude damage to wildland populations.
Nurseries
                                                             TARGET YEARS: 2015-2020
                                                             COORDINATING AGENCIES: Bureau of Land Management,
                  Action 1.3.2 Improve agency and            National Institute of Food and Agriculture, National Park
                  partner capability to plan for seed        Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service
                  needs by seed zone.                        OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Chicago Botanic Garden, Lady Bird
                                                             Johnson Wildflower Center
This action will increase planning and coordination
by agencies and external partners in collecting,
propagating, procuring, and sharing plant materials

                                       NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020                17
Action 1.3.4 Expand collection,
                       conservation, and assessment of
                       native plant genetic resources
                       for use now and into the future
                       through Seeds of Success and other
                       complementary efforts.

     This action will lead to field collections of seed
     that represent the genetic diversity of species
     populations for use in seed zone development,
     seed production, restoration, research, breeding,
     and conservation. It will include training collection
     teams on seed collection methods to ensure the
     genetic diversity within species is collected. The
     outcome would be the conservation, assessment,
     and distribution of genetic resources for research
     purposes through the Agricultural Research Service’s
     National Plant Germplasm System (and other                                     Action 1.3.5 Engage Federal
     agencies and institutions) and restoration purposes                            procurement specialists to assess
     through regional seed banks, such as the Mid-                                  current contracting regulations and
     Atlantic Regional Seed Bank.                                                   practices to identify strengths and
                                                                                    take actions to correct deficiencies.
     This action will also identify in situ reserve areas
     important for native plants, such as wilderness             This action should explore how existing
     areas and research natural areas. It would include          procurement practices (e.g., reacting to fires)
     improving agency permitting for seed collection on          may contribute to price fluctuations and seed
     Federal lands, writing best management practices            demand due to unpredictability in wildfires and
     for seed collection, and potentially developing             other impacts to the land. This action should result
     programmatic National Environmental Policy Act              in improved mechanisms for coordination and
     documents to streamline the permit process, where           communication between the Federal Government
     needed.                                                     and the commercial seed industry to encourage
                                                                 the commercial seed industry to meet seed
     This action may consider whether or how to                  needs (e.g., indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity
     prioritize germplasm collection for species based           contract, blanket purchase agreement, permitting
     on potential use (e.g., crop wild relatives) and rarity,    practices). Additional deliverables under this action
     including salvage of seed material prior to activities      may include developing a planning framework
     that will damage the landscape. One tool resulting          to deliver seed for emergency stabilization and
     from this action could be a database that tracks seed       burned area rehabilitation and providing training
     collection sites on Federal lands.                          to small business owners on navigating the Federal
                                                                 procurement system. Strategy implementers can also
     TARGET YEARS: 2015-2020
                                                                 examine procurement staffing and training needs
     COORDINATING AGENCIES: Agricultural Research Service,
     Bureau of Land Management, National Institute of Food       under this action.
     and Agriculture, National Park Service, Natural Resources
     Conservation Service, Smithsonian Institution, U.S. Fish    TARGET YEARS: 2015-2017
     and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service                   COORDINATING AGENCIES: Bureau of Land Management,
     OTHER PARTICIPANTS: American Public Gardens                 National Institute of Food and Agriculture, National Park
     Association, Botanic Gardens Conservation International,    Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service
     Chicago Botanic Garden, Denver Botanic Gardens, Lady        OTHER PARTICIPANTS: American Seed Trade Association,
     Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, NatureServe                 Florida Association of Native Nurseries, Institute for
                                                                 Applied Ecology, Mid-Atlantic Regional Seed Bank

18   NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020
GOAL 2
   Identify Research Needs and Conduct Research to Provide
  Genetically Appropriate Seed and to Improve Technology for
      Native Seed Production and Ecosystem Restoration

 Background/                                              Objective
 Rationale                                                2.1
The use of native plants to restore disturbed           Characterize Genetic Variation of
communities is essential to provide diversity,
improve ecosystem functioning, facilitate adaptation
                                                        Restoration Species to Delineate Seed
to climate change, and meet management                  Zones, and Provide Seed Transfer
objectives. To ensure that adapted plant materials      Guidelines for Current and Projected
are available to provide long-term sustainability,      Future Environmental Conditions
additional research is required. This includes
developing and testing seed zones; developing           Because seed zones and seed transfer guidelines
reliable protocols for seed testing, storage, and       are lacking for most noncommercial species,
production; and defining effective restoration          research is urgently needed to aid managers in
strategies and monitoring systems. Under the            selecting genetically appropriate seed materials for
following objectives and actions, agencies will         restoration. Improving plant material availability
assess research priorities in each of these areas in    entails collaboration among land managers within
order to provide the knowledge, plant materials,        ecoregions, seed zones, mapped vegetation types,
and technology essential for conducting fully           or other biogeographical areas to identify key
functioning plant materials programs where              restoration species, including those currently in use,
needed. Accomplishing these actions will entail         and additional species required to meet restoration
collaboration among managers, scientists, seed          and management goals. Actions within this goal
regulatory agencies, and the private sector seed        will foster the research needed to further refine
industry. It will be essential to have agency support   climate-based provisional seed zones used for the
for targeted research projects. Outcomes of research    many species for which genetic data is lacking. For
will contribute to development of decision tools as     widespread, commonly used restoration species,
described in Goal 3.                                    studies of genetic variation are required to develop
                                                        empirical seed zones and seed transfer guidelines.
                                                        Models based on these research results can be
                                                        used to predict climate change effects on plant
                                                        distributions and inform restoration efforts.

                                   NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020         19
Action 2.1.1 Conduct genetic
                       research to develop seed zones for
                       key restoration species.
                                                                   Objective
     Key restoration species collaboratively identified by         2.2
     managers and researchers will determine priorities
     for the development of empirical (species-specific)          Conduct Species-Specific Research to
     seed zones. For these species, this would entail
     common garden and reciprocal transplant studies to           Provide Seed Technology, Storage, and
     identify adaptive plant traits for use in empirical seed     Production Protocols for Restoration
     zones.                                                       Species
     TARGET YEARS: 2015-2020                                      Reliable species-specific protocols are required for
     COORDINATING AGENCIES: Bureau of Land Management,
                                                                  evaluating seed quality and maintaining viability of
     National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Natural
                                                                  seed in storage if seed reserves are to be available
     Resources Conservation Service/Plant Materials Centers,
     U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S.    when needed. Similarly, guidelines for producing
     Geological Survey                                            seed of restoration species, particularly native
     OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Botanic Gardens Conservation             forbs, in agricultural settings are required to reduce
     International, Chicago Botanic Garden, Denver Botanic        economic risks to growers. Accomplishing this action
     Gardens, Great Basin Research Center, Institute for          will require that research needs be identified and
     Applied Ecology, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center,        prioritized by users, growers, seed analysts, and
     Mid-Atlantic Regional Seed Bank, NatureServe, New            others and communicated to seed technologists and
     England Wild Flower Society, Utah Department of Natural      agronomists having appropriate areas of expertise
     Resources, universities
                                                                  (e.g., seed biology and technology, crop science,
                                                                  pollinator biology, soil science). Federal liaisons to
                       Action 2.1.2 Develop predictive
                                                                  private sector growers, as recommended under
                       models of climate change effects
                                                                  Objective 1.2, could provide coordination for this
                       on target restoration species and
                                                                  process. Outcomes will include additions to the
                       genetic diversity using 20-year or
                                                                  Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) Rules for
                       mid-century climate models.
                                                                  Testing Seeds, guidance for construction of regional
                                                                  and local storage facilities, and improved equipment
     Predictive models of climate change effects are
                                                                  and technology for native seed production.
     used to assess threats to important restoration
                                                                  Resolution of information gaps and production
     species and opportunities for targeting, prioritizing,
                                                                  bottlenecks is often essential to expanded and
     and implementing restoration projects in light
                                                                  economical production and use of individual species.
     of potential changes in species distributions and
     community composition. Models will identify
     changes in species distributions and seed zone                               Action 2.2.1 Conduct seed
     boundaries that will aid in identifying potential                            germination studies and develop
     refugia areas, bottlenecks to species’ movement, and                         seed testing protocols for key
     selection of appropriate populations for inclusion                           restoration species.
     in restoration projects to reduce the risk of future
     maladaptation.                                               This action will support research to determine the
                                                                  germination biology and provide the AOSA-accepted
     TARGET YEARS: 2016-2020                                      seed testing protocols for commonly seeded
     COORDINATING AGENCIES: National Institute of Food and        restoration species, as well as species in demand but
     Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey     not currently in use. Publications on germination
     OTHER PARTICIPANTS: American Public Gardens                  biology and ecology for these species will be
     Association, Chicago Botanic Garden, Institute for Applied   reviewed. Knowledge gaps will be identified and
     Ecology, NatureServe, universities,                          prioritized by managers, growers, and researchers.
                                                                  The resulting research will inform seeding practices
                                                                  (e.g., requirements for dormancy release, seed

20   NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020
pretreatments, seeding rates, dates, depths) for seed          will include storage protocols, expanded seed
production fields and wildland seedings. Studies               technology databases and synthesis documents.
designed to formulate standardized germination
testing procedures for individual species are                  TARGET YEARS: 2015-2020
refereed by AOSA prior to acceptance into the                  COORDINATING AGENCIES: Agricultural Research Service,
Rules for Testing Seeds. Close coordination with the           Bureau of Land Management, National Institute of Food
AOSA Native Seed Testing Committee is required                 and Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey
                                                               OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Chicago Botanic Garden, Denver
to schedule referee testing. The rules are used by
                                                               Botanic Gardens, Great Basin Research Center, private
certified seed laboratories across the country to              seed testing laboratories and seed companies, state seed
increase uniformity in results. Standardized testing           laboratories, universities, Utah Department of Natural
procedures are needed to evaluate seed lot quality.            Resources
Outcomes of this action and existing data will
be synthesized and compiled in existing or new                                 Action 2.2.3 Develop species-specific
databases.                                                                     protocols for seed and seedling
TARGET YEARS: 2015-2020                                                        production practices that maintain
COORDINATING AGENCIES: Agricultural Research Service,                          genetic diversity.
Bureau of Land Management, National Institute of Food
and Agriculture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest   This action fosters research needed to aid growers
Service, U.S. Geological Survey                                in producing seed crops and nursery seedlings
OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Chicago Botanic Garden, Denver             efficiently and economically while maintaining
Botanic Gardens, Great Basin Research Center, Institute        genetic diversity. Bottlenecks to successful
for Applied Ecology, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center,
                                                               production often appear when wildland species are
private seed testing laboratories and seed companies,
state seed laboratories, universities
                                                               grown as monocultures in seed fields or nurseries.
                                                               Review of seed needs assessments by ecoregion
                   Action 2.2.2 Develop storage                or seed zone, combined with an examination of
                   guidelines for restoration species          pertinent literature; databases; and surveys of
                   to improve maintenance of seed              growers, nurserymen, and researchers, is needed
                   viability.                                  to identify obstacles to the successful production
                                                               of individual species. Regional liaisons may be
This action aims to provide species-specific                   required to aid in prioritizing and expediting
requirements needed to manage stored seed                      research. Scientists with expertise in improving
supplies and conserve seed quality. Seed handling              stand establishment, weed control, irrigation,
and management protocols to maintain viability                 pollinator management, plant pathology, root and
from harvest through conditioning, storage, and                soil microorganisms and facilitators, and a wide array
use are lacking for most restoration species. Optimal          of other disciplines may be called upon to resolve
temperature and relative humidity requirements to              specific problems. Input from geneticists is required
maximize seed longevity in storage have rarely been            to set guidelines for maintaining genetic diversity
identified. Although many restoration species can              from seed collection through seed conditioning and
be stored successfully in warehouses under ambient             seed or seedling production. Outcomes of this work,
conditions for short periods, others lose viability            in addition to seed supplies and nursery seedlings,
rapidly, resulting in lost profits to growers or lost          will include publications, technical notes, databases,
reserves to users. Available database information,             webinars, workshops, and field days.
literature, storage records, and observational reports
will be reviewed on a regional or seed zone basis to           TARGET YEARS: 2015-2020
                                                               COORDINATING AGENCIES: Bureau of Land Management,
identify problematic species and prioritize research.
                                                               National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Natural
Public and private researchers, including certified            Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
seed laboratory personnel, will be solicited to                Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey
conduct required studies. Response may be limited              OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Chicago Botanic Garden, Great
due to the long-term nature of the research and                Basin Research Center, Institute for Applied Ecology, Lady
availability of suitable facilities and equipment for          Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, public and private seed
conducting the studies. Products and publications              producers and nurseries, state agencies, universities

                                        NATIONAL SEED STRATEGY for Rehabilitation and Restoration | 2015–2020                 21
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