The Great Basin Native Plant Selection & Increase
Project: Origin, Objectives, and Cooperators
Mike Pellant, BLM, Boise, ID
Nancy Shaw, FS, Boise, ID
Scott Lambert, BLM, Boise, ID
Great Basin
Great Basin
Owner
BLM
Acres
73 million
Private 29 million
FS
19 million
State
4 million
D.Def.
3 million
Tribes
2 million
Other
5 million
Total
135 million
Great Basin Biomes
Forest
Woodland
Sagebrush
Salt Desert Shrub
2’’
1,500 ft.
Annual Precipitation
Elevation
24’’
13,000 ft.
Great Diversity of Wildlife….
100 bird species
70 mammals
23 amphibian/reptiles
The Great Basin is about History,
Culture, and Community
Origins of BLM‟s Use of Native Species
Era of the Introduced Wheatgrasses
• Adapted to Great Basin
Crested WG
Native range
• Good seed production
• Competes with weeds
(1952 Halogeton Control Act)
• Provides soil protection
(abandoned cropland)
• Palatable to livestock and
able to withstand heavy grazing
Grant County, Oregon (1936)
Origins of BLM‟s Use of Native Species
1970‟s-- Increased wildfires caused significant sagebrush losses &
increased concerns about wildlife and the environment
Origins of BLM‟s Use of Native Species
BLM/USFS Shrub Sciences Lab Collaboration
Steve
Monsen
Fourwing saltbrush
1987- Intermountain Greenstripping and Rehabilitation Research Project
„Anatone‟ bluebunch wheatgrass
1.7 million acres burned
in the Great Basin in
1999 another 1 million
acres burned in 2000.
Fighting wildfires and
treating weeds won‟t
reverse the downward
spiral of degradation
in the Great
Basin……
….a proactive
restoration approach
at the landscape level
is needed!
……Great Basin Restoration Initiative
Components of Strategy:
www.fire.blm.gov/gbri
•
Planning
•
Inventory/Assessment
•
Implementation
•
Monitoring/Evaluation
•
Science
Great Basin Restoration Initiative-Vision
“Healthy Great Basin landscapes and
sustainable resources that meet the needs
of the public that use and enjoy these
lands”
GBRI----Use of Native Species
GBRI defines restoration as, “a set of actions that
promotes plant community diversity and structure that
allows plant communities to be more resilient to
disturbance and invasive species over the long-term.”
The use of native
species is,
“recommended
dependent on seed
availability, cost and
chance for success”.
Origins of BLM‟s Use of Native Species
FY01-05 Interior Appropriations Bill:
Directed agencies to develop a long-term program
to manage and supply native plant materials for
use in various Federal land management
restoration and rehabilitation needs with
National Fire Plan funds.
“BLM Native Plant Conservation Initiative
Goals of the Great Basin Native
Plant Selection and Increase Project
•
Regional (4 state) approach in identifying needs,
selecting, and developing native seed sources.
•
Multiple collaborators (including private
industry) working together to improve
availability of native seed and the knowledge to
be successful in its application.
•
Focus on 21 native forbs & 6 native grasses.
Great Basin Native Plant Selection and Increase Project
•USDI-BLM Great Basin Restoration Initiative
and Native Plant Initiative
•USDA-FS Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Shrub Sciences Laboratory
•Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
•USDA Agricultural Research Service,
• Forage and Range Research Laboratory,
• Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory,
• and Western Regional Plant Introduction Station
•USDA-NRCS Aberdeen Plant Materials Center
•Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies
•Utah Crop Improvement Association
•Brigham Young University
•Colorado State University
•Oregon State University, Malheur Experiment Station
•USDA Forest Service, National Tree Seed Laboratory
•Native Seed Industry
Great Basin Native Plant Selection and Increase Project
Seed Collection
Evaluation/Selection
Results
Private Production
Application
500+ seed collection sites
Funding of $5+ million provided by BLM‟s Native Plant Initiative
Great Basin Native Plant Selection
and Increase Project
Seed Collection
Evaluation/Selection
Symposium Subjects:
• Selection and increase results
• Genetic studies
• Insect predators/pollinators
Production by
Farmers
500+ seed collection sites
• Cultural practices-forbs
• Involving private growers
• Future plans
Great Basin Native Plant Selection and Increase Project
Looking to the Future……
• Seedbed preparation
• Equipment
• Seed mixtures
• Technical assistance
• etc.
Results
Application
Revegetation Equipment Catalog
Contents
Home
Forward
Tractors
All-terrain vehicles
GPS
Controlling plants
mechanically
Controlling plants
chemically
Controlling plants by fire
Site preparation
Fertilization and
mulching
Seeding
Specialized planters
Contact us
Produced in cooperation with:
Rangeland Technology & Equipment Council
USDA Forest Service
USDI Bureau of Land Management
On the web at “Reveg-catalog.tamu.edu”
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Copyright 2004-2005 Harold Wiedemann
All rights reserved
Many Thanks to….
Steve Monsen for providing the vision to start
this project………….
Nancy Shaw and Durant McArthur for leading
this project and organizing this symposium……
And to the numerous collaborators on this
project for making it a success!