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
- Elymus glaucus blue wildrye
- Elymus elymoides bottlebrush squirreltail
- Bromus carinatus mountain brome
- Bromus vulgaris Columbia brome
- Pseudoroegneria spicata bluebunch wheatgrass
- Festuca idahoensis Idaho fescue
- Poa sandbergii Sandberg’s bluegrass
- Deschampsia cespitosa tufted hairgrass
- Elymus elymoides bottlebrush squirreltail
- Calamagrostis rubescens pinegrass
- Koeleria macrantha prairie junegrass
- Leymus cinereus great basin wildrye
- Stipa occidentalis western needlegrass
Shrub Species
- Alnus incana mountain alder
- Alnus sinuata Sitka alder
- Purshia tridentata antelope bitterbrush
- Cercocarpus ledifolius curlleaf mountain mahogany
- Acer glabrum Rocky Mountain maple
- Crataegus douglasii black hawthorne
- Amelanchier alnifolia western serviceberry
- Sambucus racemosa black elderberry
- Sambucus cerulea blue elderberry
- Prunus virginiana common chokecherry
- Prunus emarginata bittercherry
- Cornus sericea redosier dogwood
- Holodiscus discolor oceanspray
- Salix spp. willow spp.
Forb Species
- Lupinus spp. lupine spp.
- Anaphalis margaritacea pearlyeverlasting
- Thermopsis rhombifolia mountain thermopsis
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.
