National Park Service project to build up 'workhorse' native seed stocks for major restoration and revegetation efforts

Whether by wind, fire, flood or a construction project, disturbed lands are quickly repopulated by plants. Even in rugged, remote places like national parklands.

John Mack, the biological resource program manager for the Intermountain Region of the National Park Service said, “I suppose it’s that old saying, ‘nature abhors a vacuum,’ unfortunately we are seeing more non-natives and invasives coming in and overtaking natives after a disturbance.”

It’s that new growth that can frustrate land managers, biologists and ecologists like Mack. Because of the changing climatic conditions today, with generally warmer temperatures, altered growing seasons, and less precipitation, non-native, invasive plant species are becoming favored.

Assorted wildflowers, grasses, and rushes on the floor of Valle Grande in Valles Caldera National Preserve.

NPS / L. Ray

The changes aren’t insurmountable, but they are challenging, especially when budgets are tight and when parklands are hit by unexpected natural disasters. That makes the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law timely in providing significant funding for ecosystem restoration in parks.

The infrastructure law provides for more than one-off projects. National Park Service land stewards will be able to build up stocks of the native workhorse plant species that can out compete invasive plant species so that native grasses and forbs can grow in previously disturbed areas. This strategy also helps sustain pollinators and a wide range of wildlife species that depend on these native habitats.

For successful reseeding or restoration of disturbed areas, managers may need as many as 5 million seeds per acre or 15-30 pounds of native seed per acre --- that is a lot of seed.

The project that Mack and others coordinate is focused on native plant collection, large scale production of these native, workhorse species, and cleaning, testing, and storing seeds for future use. It involves the National Park Service and organizations within the Southwest Seed Partnership guided by the National Seed Strategy and associated revegetation and restoration efforts in grassland ecosystems in Intermountain Region parks.

A volunteer collects Indian ricegrass seed at Great Sand Dunes National Park.

NPS Photo

Up to 19 parks across five states in the intermountain west will benefit from the project through increased availability of native seed to retore native grassland plants in previously disturbed areas. These parks will also receive much needed technical assistance, seed collection capability, additional native seed production, and storage.

In 2022, the project work resulted in collection of native seed to grow these workhorse species, a first step necessary to increase the amounts of seed available for park restoration projects. It was a modest step planting out just two production fields, each one acre in size. In 2023, more seed was collected in western parks and three more production fields were planted.

Summer of 2023 collection efforts happened at Bandelier National Monument and Valles Caldera National Recreation Preserve. There, park staff collected native seeds from a wide range of plants including pine dropseed, fringed brome, squirreltail, slender wheatgrass, beautiful fleabane, three-nerve fleabane, Arizona fescue, prairie junegrass, wild bergamot, Fendler’s globemallow, little bluestem, and sand dropseed.

Semidesert biome with grasses and shrubs on hillside in Saguaro National Park.

NPS Photo

Healthy native plant communities are an essential foundation for ecosystem integrity and diversity and partnerships are critical for success. This project is a collaboration with the Institute for Applied Ecology, the National Park Service, and partners in the Southwest Seed Partnership to “get the right seed, in the right place, at the right time.”

The effort and the collaboration need time, and the Infrastructure Law provides funds for up to five years. Depending on the plant species, production fields can take one to two years before seeds are produced that can be used for restoration projects that restore healthy ecosystems in Parks.

Lori Makarick, Ecosystem Restoration Coordinator for the National Park Service said, “This project is so important because it contributes to the reliable availability of appropriate seed suitable for current and projected climatic conditions and will increase restoration success. Through research, technical support, collaboration, and education, this project advances the preservation of natural resources and ecological values.”

Bottomline, Mack said, it’s about healthy ecosystems. “Healthy ecosystems benefit people, animals, plants, and their shared environment which includes parks. Healthy ecosystems also bolster our ability to mitigate and adapt to the effects of our changing climate.”

About the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes critical investments in the resilience and restoration of America’s lands, skies, and waters, and enhances conservation and recreation opportunities. Visitors will see tangible results such as repaired and upgraded trails and campgrounds, removal of invasive species, as well as healthy wetlands, grasslands, and forests.