Native Plant Restoration in the Blue Mountains of Eastern Oregon and Washington

Native Grass, Forb, and Shrub Restoration

Since 1994, National Forests in R-6 have been operating under a policy which states that seeds and plants used in erosion control, fire rehabilitation, wetland and riparian restoration, wildlife forage enhancement, road stabilization, mine reclamation, and other revegetation projects shall originate from genetically local sources of native species unless these sources are unavailable. Early on, these plant materials were generally not available; however, much progress has been made in the last few years to build seed supplies of key native grass, shrub, and forb species. A major milestone was reached after last summer’s wildfires, when local seed from a number of native species was used in portions of high fire intensity zones in the North Fork John Day Wilderness, as well as on cat lines and fire camps.

Native species selected for plant material development are generally important for wildlife forage and habitat, but may also be selected for their competitiveness, soil stabilization qualities, or the ability to do well on disturbed sites. The principal native plant species used in revegetation projects in the Blue Mountains include:

Grass Species

Shrub Species

Forb Species

Collections of seed and cuttings are typically made by Forest Service personnel, although contracting for these services will probably become more common in the future. A wide range of volunteers and volunteer groups have also donated hundreds of hours collecting and cleaning seed. For many species, native grasses in particular, hand collections from the wild will not provide adequate seed for restoration and revegetation projects. In these cases, seed increase plantings in an agronomic environment present a more efficient method for meeting seed needs. Seed increase fields for a number of key grass species have been established at R-6’s J. Herbert Stone Nursery (Medford, OR), a Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Plant Materials Center (Pullman, WA), and with private growers under contract. To date, over 4000 pounds of native seed have been collected or produced. Over the next several years, seed increase fields will supply thousands of additional pounds of native seed for restoration.

Limited information is available regarding geographic patterns of genetic variation for native species, or the spatial scales over which plant material may be safely transferred. In 1995, a common-garden study involving 225 sources of Elymus glaucus (blue wildrye) from throughout the Blue Mountains was established at the Pullman NRCS Plant Materials Center. The study will be completed this fall, providing data for the development of seed transfer guidelines similar to those in place for native conifers. As funding allows, similar studies will be conducted for other grass and forb species used in seed mixes and planting prescriptions.

Last modified: January 31, 2002

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