Selecting native plant material for restoration projects: Ensuring local adaptation and maintaining genetic diversity

Selecting appropriate plant materials for restoration projects contributes to the success of the project by ensuring better adaptation and survival of the plants. “Appropriate” means choosing species that are suitable for the site, are grown from locally adapted sources, and have a solid genetic base. This publication is for people involved in the important task of rehabilitating and restoring Oregon’s threatened or degraded habitats. Grow-ing numbers of private landowners, local organizations, and government entities are embarking on projects to restore the health or function of their riparian areas, wetlands, prairies, savannas, and other habitats. Choosing the right plants is critical to the long-term success of these projects, but it is not always as straightforward as it seems. Managers often lack a strong background in genetics and may be confused by competing (and sometimes conflicting) claims when collecting or buying seeds, seedlings, or other plant materials. The purpose of this publication is to help restoration managers ask and respond to two important questions: 1. Where should our plants come from; or, more specifically, what are the appropriate sources of origin for the plants to be used in our project? 2. Are we maintaining adequate genetic diversity in the plant materials we introduce? In this publication, we describe important concepts, such as source of origin, and management mechanisms, such as transfer guidelines. (Terms in bold are in the glossary, page 9.) Other commonly used terms such as “native” and “local” have vague or imprecise meanings and are discussed in the context of plant selection.