Land managers around the United States and Canada have been attempting the conversion from exotic introduced plants for revegetation, to the use of local native plants for ecological restoration.
The purpose of this issue is to outline a program that has been successful in eight Western States on how to rapidly move from the use of exotics to local natives within 1-2 years.
In issue No. 6 of the Juicy Gossip, I outlined seven easy steps that can start the process:
SEVEN EASY STEPS TOWARDS THE USE OF NATIVES: The Exotics-to-Local-Natives Program. A common statement heard from public land managers is that "local native seeds are not commercially available." The lack of local material is easily and inexpensively resolved by taking seven simple steps:
1.) MAKE A POLICY that when any soil is disturbed within your land management area, you desire that local natives be used for ecological restoration.
2.) MAKE AN EFFORT TO HAVE RESISTANCE TO THE PERSISTENT exotics.
3.) TEST NON-PERSISTENT EXOTICS that could be useful for erosion control while you are bulking up your local native seed stockpiles. Weed-free horse-feed oats is one option that has been successful in many forests. It provides cover and then fades out the second year, because it doesn't reproduce.
4.) ESTABLISH A RESTORATION COORDINATOR to be the liaison between the various shops who would normally use revegetation seeding in their projects, like engineers, wildlife, recreation, fire rehab., etc.
5.) COORDINATE WITH YOUR PARTNER'S PROJECTS! If you have highway widening, new ski lifts being built, pipeline right-of-ways, etc., utilize those projects to get your native program started. Learn together with your partners how to use natives.
6.) CONSERVE GOOD EXAMPLES OF NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS as future seed sources for your revegetation projects, and as models or patterns to use to reconstruct ecosystems.
7.) TRY THE REVEG EDGE PROFESSIONAL LAND MANAGER'S CLASS,
about seed collection, harvesting, cleaning, and storage techniques.
Hundreds of federal land managers have participated in these award-winning
classes since 1990, enabling a rapid conversion from exotics to
the use of natives. Class information.
THE REVEG
EDGE (sm) SERVICES:
---Classes about
seed collection, harvesting, cleaning, and storage techniques.
---DESERT revegetation, utilizing
locally collected natives.
---Natural revegetation with reclamation practices approved
by SMARA and Cal. Title 14.
---Non-point source water pollution control using local
perennial natives.
---Star thistle control,
no herbicides, weavils, tilling, or hand-pulling necessary!
---Threatened, Endangered and Sensitive
species community conservation and analysis.
Contact us about the services which interest you, via e-mail at craig@ecoseeds.com