Production of Genetically Appropriate Native Grass and Forb Seed at the USDA Forest Service Coeur d’Alene Nursery

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Coeur d’Alene Nursery is the tree seedling and native plant propagule production facility for the Northern Region of the Forest Service (Region 1). Although conifer seedling production is the nursery’s primary focus, requests for native plant and seed production have risen over the last decade, partly in response to national efforts to use site-appropriate species and genetics for revegetation work on public lands. Region 1 botany staff and the Coeur d’Alene Nursery, in conjunction with partners, have worked for the past decade to establish empirical seed transfer zones for commonly used native forbs, shrubs, and grasses. This work is the primary component of the Region’s effort to collect, increase, and furnish genetically appropriate native seed to revegetation practitioners. The nursery also provides seed increase services for individual projects and specialty native plant species from multiple ecosystems in the Western United States, with a focus on maintaining genetic integrity. This paper was presented at the Joint Annual Meeting of the Western Forest and Conservation Nursery Association and the Intermountain Container Seedling Growers Association (Coeur d’Alene, ID, October 25–26, 2018).

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Author(s): Nathan Robertson

Publication: Tree Planters' Notes - Volume 62, Numbers 1, 2 (2019)

Event: Joint Annual Meeting of the Western Forest and Conservation Nursery Association and the Intermountain Container Seedling Growers Association
2018 - Coeur d’Alene, ID

Volume: 62

Numbers: 1, 2