[APWG] Getting 95% weed-free & 95% native cover in 90 days or less

[Craig Dremann - Redwood City Seed Company]

Dear Wayne, Anita and All,

Thanks for your emails.

Anita asked, how were the exotics eradicated?
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Reply: Mowing and pulling plus a tiny bit of herbicides.  No burning,
tilling, grazing, insects.  And no native seed sowing until recently, to
start putting back the missing species that did not emerge from the soil
seedbank.  The most important thing about the Shaw property, as Michael
Shaw says, is to get the weeds cut every year, before they make any more
seeds.
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Wayne writes:

I do not endorse arbitrary time limits and "cover" criteria, as they are
irrelevant to ecosystem development. If, for example, "cover" is demanded
within 90 days, seedling density will be far too high, resulting in the
more aggressive (even indigenous) species suppressing the more
slowly-developing ones. Getting the plant density and species proportions
right is one of the most demanding aspects of ecosystem restoration
practice.
==========

Reply: With a nearly 100% weed cover in lower-elevation California
consisting of over 1,000 species of weeds, that reality absolutely
requires a Performance Standard, that I talk about at
<http://www.ecoseeds.com/standards.html> with a less-than-90-day
time-frame attached.

To achieve that 95% native cover and 95% weed eradication within 90 days
or less, you have to do numerous small-scale test plots before you do the
big project, so you can test your ecological restoration technologies and
see if they are tuned for the site.

The small scale test plots are where you find the proper sowing rates and
the correct species mixes, so that your native seedlings come up at just
the proper densities, to suppress the exotic seeds still in the soil, but
not so dense that the natives will crowd each other.  You can see some
photos of some successful small scale test plots at
http://www.ecoseeds.com/greatbasin.html

Really, you do not have any choice in central or northern California
grassland habitats, because it is an absolute necessity to get 95% native
cover and 95% weed eradication within 90 days or less.  That means if you
sow your local native seeds in October or November, you should see 95%
native seedling cover by February 1st.

If you cannot achieve that Performance Standard, the weeds in California
will eat your project for breakfast, like what is happening on the public
lands at Russian Ridge just 10 miles up the hill from me, that you can
read about at http://www.ecoseeds.com/invent.html

Sincerely, Craig Dremann (650) 325-7333