What are the best seed sources for ecosystem restoration on BLM and USFS lands?

Abstract

Native plant restoration policy calls for use of "genetically appropriate" native plant material on USDI Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and USDA Forest Service (USFS) lands. In this article, we summarize experimental evidence showing that local adaptation is widespread in all kingdoms of life, and how this "home-field advantage" has been exploited in forest restoration activities to develop and promote regionally adapted, genetically diverse restoration materials. The importance of such materials is highlighted in the context of changing environmental conditions, such as those predicted in future climate change scenarios. Although the adaptive properties of most restoration species remains unexamined, numerous tools exist for identifying similar environments and ecosystems, and these can be used to develop first-generation seed zones. Finally, general recommendations for establishing foundation populations are outlined so that pre-adapted populations retain sufficient genetic diversity to acclimate to new evolutionary challenges, while minimizing the likelihood of deleterious genetic outcomes (for example, inadvertent selection of undesirable traits; inbreeding depression).Johnson R, Stritch L, Olwell P, Lambert S, Horning ME, Cronn R. 2010. What are the best seed sources for ecosystem restoration on BLM and USFS lands? Native Plants Journal 11(2):117-131.

Generalized provisional seed zones for native plants

“…Nonlocal genotypes may reduce the success of restoration projects if they are maladapted, and could negatively affect adjacent native populations adapted to local environmental conditions through gene flow (McKay et al 2005). Restoration with native plants is still relatively new in the western United States and the supporting research, infrastructure and plant material development programs are all in early stages of development (Erickson 2008, Johnson et al 2010a, USDA Forest Service 2012b. Several United States federal and state agencies either suggest or require the use of locally adapted and regionally appropriate native plant materials based on site characteristics and ecological setting (see Appendix 1 in Johnson et al 2010a).…”

“…Restoration with native plants is still relatively new in the western United States and the supporting research, infrastructure and plant material development programs are all in early stages of development (Erickson 2008, Johnson et al 2010a, USDA Forest Service 2012b. Several United States federal and state agencies either suggest or require the use of locally adapted and regionally appropriate native plant materials based on site characteristics and ecological setting (see Appendix 1 in Johnson et al 2010a). This means that plant germplasm should be adapted to current environments, yet also possess sufficient diversity to adapt and respond to everchanging biotic and abiotic conditions.…”

“…Some are climatic specialists that exhibit strong differentiation over small geographic scales, and thus, should not be moved far into different Manuscript received 11 February 2013;revised 3 February 2014;accepted 12 February 2014. Corresponding Editor: E. A. Leger. 4 E-mail: abower@fs.fed.us climatic environments; other species are climatic generalists that show less differentiation and can be moved across a wide range of environmental gradients without a decline in fitness (Rehfeldt 1994, Johnson et al 2010a. Similar information for other native taxa has lagged considerably in comparison to forest tree species.…”

Seleção De Sementes De Espécies Arbóreas Para a Restauração De Paisagens Em Meio Às Mudanças Climáticas

“…This means that plant germplasm should be adapted to current environments, yet possess ample diversity to adapt and respond to changing biotic and abiotic conditions. Native plant restoration policy calls for the use of genetically appropriate native plant material on lands owned by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service (JOHNSON et al, 2010). Therefore, the primary concern may to find enough propagules to be established on a site, which unfortunately does not ensure long-term persistence or restoration of a functioning ecosystem.…”

The potential of novel native plant materials for the restoration of novel ecosystems

“…Allegiance to the "local is best" (terms in italics are defined in the Appendix A) paradigm, the consequent delineation of seed transfer zones, and the subsequent development of "genetically appropriate" plant materials based on naturally occurring patterns of genetic variation, have been regarded as "dogma" in some quarters ( Johnson et al, 2010a). However, this model may not be optimal for the many degraded rangeland systems in need of restoration ( Jones, 2013a) because they have often become modified to the point of becoming "novel ecosystems" (Hobbs et al 2013).…”