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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">The sagebrush seed work group is inviting additional participation. If interested, please contact Bryce Richardson at
<a href="mailto:brichardson02@fs.fed.us">brichardson02@fs.fed.us</a>. Below is more information about the group.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">The sagebrush biome is experiencing degradation principally from increased frequency of disturbances and the displacement of sagebrush, primarily big sagebrush (<i>Artemisia tridentata</i>),
and other native forbs and grasses with invasive species. This process has resulted in the loss of flora and fauna (e.g., greater sage-grouse,
</span><i><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Centrocercus urophasianus</span></i><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">) that depend on these ecosystems. Restoration of sagebrush ecosystems, either by seeding or planting nursery
stock of sagebrush and other native plants, is our best defense to reduce the expansion of invasives and improve degraded lands. A fundamental component of sagebrush restoration is developing the knowledge and tools to collect and store native plant seeds
and deploy seed collections to the appropriate site. This can be challenging for big sagebrush for a number of reasons:
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">1)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Taxonomic complexity: Big sagebrush consists of three predominant subspecies with overlapping distributions and in some cases introgression.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">2)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Genetic adaptation: Like many widespread plants, big sagebrush exhibits clinal variation in adaptive traits. This is especially the case for cold hardiness and prudent movement
of seed is warranted. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">3)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Seed storage: If not properly stored in cold and dry conditions, sagebrush seed can be short-lived. Maintaining the appropriate conditions in seed storage facilities is critical
to having seed on hand for restoration projects. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">4)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Episodic weather: Arid ecosystems often vary considerable in precipitation patterns. There are likely years in which low precipitation is not conducive to seed germination or
seedling establishment. This is true whether planting results from natural seed dispersal or from human strategies efforts to seed or plant big sagebrush and other natives.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<![if !supportLists]><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">5)<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Climate change: Many studies have suggested that big sagebrush is susceptible to a warming climate. Vulnerability to climate change appears be greatest at the warm-dry end of
the sagebrush biome climate spectrum, primarily occupied by Wyoming big sagebrush. Climate change could be one of the underlying factors contributing to current losses in this subspecies.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">The sagebrush seed work group (SSWG) was formed in 2017 with the following goals: 1) identify best practices and knowledge gaps relevant to the use of sagebrush seed in ecosystem restoration
activities, 2) promote research to develop, test and refine those practices and to fill knowledge gaps and 3) engage with existing collaborations to encourage adoption and implementation of practices that will improve restoration outcomes. The SSWG is comprised
of federal and state researchers and land managers, private seed vendors, and state seed certification agencies. The primary tasks for the group include: exploring methods to differentiate taxa both in the field and in the laboratory, developing seed transfer
limits based on adaptive traits and making these limits climate-smart (i.e., capable of projecting these transfer limits using climate change models) and developing seed technology, like seed coatings, to improve germination and establishment success.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Photo captions:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Photo1: The sagebrush biome can be comprised of several species, but the most dominant is big sagebrush (<i>Artemisia</i>
<i>tridentata</i>) occupying sites from 300 to 3000 m. This broad ecological breadth is further divided into three predominant subspecies (<i>tridentata</i>,
<i>wyomingensis</i> and <i>vaseyana</i>) that occupy different ecological niche. (Photo credit: Nancy Shaw)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Photo2: Collectors harvest seeds in the fall from basin big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata subsp. tridentata). Seed is then cleaned, certified for purity, subspecies and location and
then stored for restoration projects. (Photo credit: Stan Young)<a name="_MailOriginalBody"><o:p></o:p></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Thanks,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif">Debbie Finch<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Deborah M. Finch<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Program Manager<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Grassland, Shrubland and Desert Ecosystems Science<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">USDA Forest Service<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Rocky Mountain Research Station<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">333 Broadway SE, Suite 115<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Albuquerque, NM 87111<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Office: 505-724-3671<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Cell: 505-401-0580<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family:"Calibri Light",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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