[SOS-PCA] National Seed Strategy Launched Today!

Mon Aug 17 12:49:28 CDT 2015

The National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration was launched
today in Boise, ID, see the press release below for more information. You
can download a copy of the Strategy at http://www.blm.gov/seedstrategy.
Please share this email with anyone that might be interested.

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Date: August 17, 2015
  Contacts: Jessica Kershaw (Interior), Interior_press at ios.doi.gov
Randy Eardley (BLM), 208-387-5895

*Interior Department Releases National Seed Strategy for Landscape Scale
Rehabilitation and Restoration**Effort Uses Plant & Pollinator
Science Collaboration at all Levels to Make Land More Resilient to Drought,
Fires, Invasive Species*

*BOISE, IDAHO* – As part of a comprehensive, science-based strategy to
address the threat of wildfires that are damaging landscapes across the
West, the Department of the Interior today announced the release of a National
Seed Strategy
<http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUwODE3LjQ4MTY2NzMxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MDgxNy40ODE2NjczMSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE2ODg0OTc5JmVtYWlsaWQ9amtyYXVzc0BibG0uZ292JnVzZXJpZD1qa3JhdXNzQGJsbS5nb3YmZmw9JmV4dHJhPU11bHRpdmFyaWF0ZUlkPSYmJg==&&&100&&&http://www.blm.gov/seedstrategy>
for
rehabilitation and restoration to help foster resilient and healthy
landscapes.

The Strategy, developed in partnership with the Plant Conservation Alliance
and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is meant to guide ecological
restoration across major landscapes, especially for those lands damaged by
rangeland fires, invasive species, severe storms and drought. The Strategy
is in place to put emphasis on the importance of planting appropriate seeds
to help grow plant life and pollinator habitat, which are critical natural
defenses against climate change.

“Having the right seed in the right place at the right time makes a major
difference in the health of our landscapes,” said U.S. Secretary of the
Interior Sally Jewell. “This is a collaborative effort to ensure that we’re
taking a landscape level approach to supporting lands that are more
resilient to drought, intense fires and invasive species.”

In 2012, more than two million acres of sagebrush habitat burned in four
western states. Now, worsening landscape scale disturbances, like wildfires
and drought, have exacerbated land managers’ need for mechanisms that build
a natural defense against a changing climate.

In the East, Hurricane Sandy caused widespread damage to native plant
habitats that stabilize soils, filter water and absorb storm surges. A
chronic shortage of native seed for restoration purposes left those
landscapes vulnerable to hostile species and erosion, while undermining
their ability to build up resilience, support wildlife and economic
activity.

The National Seed Strategy outlines coordinated and focused research, as
well as improvements in seed production and restoration technology to
increase the availability of genetically appropriate, locally adapted seed.
The research findings identified in the Strategy will inform the
development of new management tools to aid in restoration planning and
implementation.

Deputy Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Steve Ellis
announced the strategy today at the BLM Boise Regional Seed Warehouse. He
was joined by BLM Idaho State Director Tim Murphy; Chicago Botanic Garden,
Vice President of Science Dr. Greg Mueller (Representing the Plant
Conservation Alliance); U.S. Forest Service Resource Staff Officer Boise
National Forest, Lynn Oliver, and Lucky Peak Nursery Manager Boise, Clark
Fleege; American Seed Trade Association, Chair, Risa DeMasi; as well as
Jerry Benson, president, of BFI Native Seeds.

“Large, disturbed areas must be replanted quickly to avoid severe erosion
or colonization by non-native invasive plants,” Deputy Director Ellis said.
“In many cases, it has been difficult to obtain and deliver adequate
quantities of the appropriate seed to meet a region’s particular need. This
Strategy builds on the significant achievements we are making in landscape
restoration, and calls for an unprecedented level of collaboration and
commitment to further enhance the nation’s supply and distribution of the
right seeds.”

“Our national grasslands and forests are threatened by an ever-increasing
occurrence of wildfire and invasive plants, and need to be restored,” said
Carlos Rodriguez-Franco, Forest Service Acting Deputy Chief for Research
and Development. “Native seeds for wildflowers, trees, shrubs, and grasses
are essential to restore lands damaged from wildfire and to restrict
advancement of non-native plants to create resilient, adaptive landscapes
for wildlife to flourish. This National Seed Strategy will help ensure the
success of post wildfire restoration efforts to create native habitat for
wildlife. It underscores the value of Federal partners working together to
be good stewards of the environment on behalf of the American people.”

The Strategy involves creating a national network of facilities (federal,
tribal, state, local and private) that would provide seed storage
resources. This network would support the Presidential Memorandum on
Pollinators
<http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUwODE3LjQ4MTY2NzMxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MDgxNy40ODE2NjczMSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE2ODg0OTc5JmVtYWlsaWQ9amtyYXVzc0BibG0uZ292JnVzZXJpZD1qa3JhdXNzQGJsbS5nb3YmZmw9JmV4dHJhPU11bHRpdmFyaWF0ZUlkPSYmJg==&&&101&&&https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/20/presidential-memorandum-creating-federal-strategy-promote-health-honey-b>
and
help increase the availability of native seed to a broader user base. The
Strategy also calls for the coordinated establishment of a nationwide
network of native seed collectors, a network of farmers and growers working
to develop seed, a network of nurseries and seed storage facilities to
supply adequate quantities of appropriate seed, and a network of
restoration ecologists working on the ground. While the use of native seed
is encouraged, the Strategy does not preclude the use of non-native seed in
the instances where it is appropriate.

Sophia Shaw, CEO of Chicago Botanic Garden and chair of the Plant
Conservation Alliance Non-Federal Cooperators Committee, said the Strategy
was a major step forward for restoration and rehabilitation. “The
cooperators look forward to helping federal agencies implement the strategy
across the country,” Shaw said.

The Seed Strategy does not change or create new policy, but provides a
framework for increased collaboration and a common set of goals by using
the collective resources of participating agencies. It also aims to provide
all land managers – federal, tribal, state, county, and private – the tools
they need to address ecological restoration at all levels.

The Strategy is also a major action item called for in the Interior
Department’s rangeland fire strategy
<http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUwODE3LjQ4MTY2NzMxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MDgxNy40ODE2NjczMSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE2ODg0OTc5JmVtYWlsaWQ9amtyYXVzc0BibG0uZ292JnVzZXJpZD1qa3JhdXNzQGJsbS5nb3YmZmw9JmV4dHJhPU11bHRpdmFyaWF0ZUlkPSYmJg==&&&102&&&http://www.doi.gov/news/download/upload/Final-Rangeland-SO-greater.pdf>
to
address the increasing threat of wildfires that damage vital sagebrush
landscapes and productive rangelands in the West, especially in the Great
Basin states of California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Utah. That strategy
outlines the need to aggressively restore fire-impacted landscapes using
native seed and local vegetation.

The Conservation Objectives Team (COT) report
<http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUwODE3LjQ4MTY2NzMxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MDgxNy40ODE2NjczMSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE2ODg0OTc5JmVtYWlsaWQ9amtyYXVzc0BibG0uZ292JnVzZXJpZD1qa3JhdXNzQGJsbS5nb3YmZmw9JmV4dHJhPU11bHRpdmFyaWF0ZUlkPSYmJg==&&&103&&&http://www.fws.gov/greatersagegrouse/documents/COT-Report-with-Dear-Interested-Reader-Letter.pdf>,
prepared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to guide efforts to conserve
the Greater sage-grouse, highlighted the importance of restoring sagebrush
ecosystems to healthy native sagebrush plant communities. As invasive
annuals like cheatgrass replace native perennial bunch grass communities,
the frequency and intensity of rangeland fires increases. For this reason,
the COT emphasized that 'every effort must be made to retain and restore
native plant communities to reduce the risk of fire in the sagebrush
ecosystem.'

Envisioned and initiated by the BLM as collaboration between partners, the
Strategy was developed in concert with many local, state and federal
partners, including the Plant Conservation Alliance (PCA). The PCA is an
umbrella organization of more than 300 non-federal partners who work
together to conserve and restore native plant communities across the United
States, including biologists, resources managers and soil scientists.

The goals and objectives for the strategy were initially created during a
Seed Conference held in Washington, D.C., in June 2014. Private seed
growers and organizations such as the Western Governors’ Association have
also engaged during the development of the strategy.

The 12 federal agencies also engaged in the development of the strategy
include the Department of the Interior (BLM, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park
Service); Department of Agriculture (Agricultural Research Service,
National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation
Service, and U.S. Forest Service); Department of Transportation (Federal
Highway Administration); the Smithsonian Institution; and the U.S. Botanic
Garden.

For more information on the National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and
Restoration, visit this website
<http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUwODE3LjQ4MTY2NzMxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MDgxNy40ODE2NjczMSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE2ODg0OTc5JmVtYWlsaWQ9amtyYXVzc0BibG0uZ292JnVzZXJpZD1qa3JhdXNzQGJsbS5nb3YmZmw9JmV4dHJhPU11bHRpdmFyaWF0ZUlkPSYmJg==&&&104&&&http://www.blm.gov/seedstrategy>
.
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