Revegetation Policy PNW

File Code:	2600	Date:   April 14, 1994
Subject:	Use of Native and Nonnative Plants on National Forests and Grasslands
To:	Directors and Forest Supervisors in Pacific Northwest Region

Sound vegetation management is the key to achieving many important objectives of ecosystem management, which include maintaining and enhancing biological diversity, sustaining long-term site productivity, and having healthy ecosystems.  Successful vegetation management is dependent on: (1) Clearly defined objectives, (2) availability of adapted plant materials to achieve the objectives, and (3) knowledge of the soil and other environmental conditions where the plant material is to be used.  Revegetation objectives must also be guided by law.  For example, it would not be appropriate to respond to natural disturbance processes in wilderness with revegetation projects unless life or property outside of wilderness is jeopardized.

The following direction is intended to guide the use of native and nonnative plant species to meet stated objectives of revegetation prescriptions and projects.  Native plant vegetation has an intrinsic value as a component of forest and rangeland ecosystems.  Nonnative plant species, although useful at times, have the potential to displace natural plant and animal communities, either through aggressive competition or through disease or insect introductions.

POLICY: Use local native plant species to meet management objectives.  Follow appropriate seed and plant movement guidelines.  Nonnative plant species may be used when: (1) Needed to protect basic resource values (site productivity), (2) as an interim, nonpersistent measure designed to aid in the re-establishment of native plants, or (3) local native plant species are not available.  For example, massive soil loss can change sites so that native plant species cannot become established without interim ameliorating measures.  As costs, availability, and technical knowledge permit, use of local native plant materials should become a more standard practice.  Undesirable plants will not be used.

Directors and Forest Supervisors                                                                                  

INTENT:  The long-term goal is to use local native plant species as much as possible to meet management objectives.  Areas that have the highest priority for using native plant species are those sites in and adjacent to wilderness (but only for restoration of unnatural disturbances), Research Natural Areas, National Parks, streams, wetlands, around documented sightings of sensitive plants, and in Native American cultural use areas.  In areas that are in a permanently disturbed condition such as landing strips, powerline corridors, seed orchards, base areas in ski areas, or road cut and fill slopes, use of native plant species is a long-term goal but a lower priority.

Enclosed are DEFINITIONS as further clarification of intent.

/s/Robert Jacobs (for)

JOHN E. LOWE

Regional Forester

Enclosure

I CONCUR:R.SHAFFER:04/05/94

CC:
Dean Longrie, F&W
Gene Silovsky, F&W
Bob Meurisse, ERW
Fred Hall, ERW
Bernie Smith, Rec
Susan Sater, Rec
Margaret Peterson, Rec
Jerry Beatty, FPM
Fay Shon, FPM
Sheila Martinson, TM
Fred Zensen, TM
Richard Shaffer, TM

Native:  Plant species present in Oregon and Washington prior to European arrival,
circa 1800.

Example: fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium).

Local Native: A population of a native plant species which originated, i.e., grew from seeds or cuttings, from genetically local sources.  The geographic and elevational boundaries that define a species' genetically local source are determined by plant movement guidelines.

Example: Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga Menziesii) seedlings grown from seed collected from the local seed zone.

Non-local-Native: This term has two meanings: (1) A population of a native plant species which does not occur naturally in the local ecosystem, and (2) plant materials of a native species that does not originate from genetically local sources.

Examples: 
(1) black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) planted on an alpine ridge.

(2) Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga Menziesii) seedlings originating from east of the Cascades planted in western Oregon or Washington.

Non-local native should NOT be used because planting them can affect existing plant communities, plant-animal relationships, and the local gene pool.

Acceptable Non-Native: Annual or short-lived perennial that is not persistent or competitive with native vegetation.  These species are useful for erosion control or as noxious weed competitors.

Example: Sterile wheat.

Naturalized species: Nonnative species that were introduced by humans to Oregon and Washington and have "gone wild" or become a part of natural communities.

Example: Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)

Exotic Species: Nonnative species that are not known to occur in Oregon or Washington except possibly in landscape plantings or botanical gardens.

Example: Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)

Undesirable Plant Species: Either one of the following:

* Plant species on the Oregon or Washington Department of Agriculture noxious weed list.

Example: Hairy cats-ear (Hypochaeris radicata)

* Horticultural varieties of native plant species