Resource Database

Global Arid Zone Project – Progress in global dryland restoration

Drylands are some of the most difficult areas to restore, but paradoxically have only seen a small fraction of terrestrial ecology (6%) and restoration (<5%) studies. The Global Arid Zone Project, first conceived in 2018 and launched later that year, is aimed at building a continuously growing restoration tool that collates existing data into a usable data center. By compiling a unique global database on dryland ecosystem restoration, we hope to provide the ability to explore drivers of restoration success at an unprecedented scale. Here, we present the first analysis of the database. Our results were assembled from datasets across 174 sites on six continents, encompassing 594,065 observations of 671 plant species. Findings provide reason for optimism. Seeding in drylands had a clear positive impact on the presence of plant species. However, dryland restoration is also a risky proposition: 17% of the projects completely failed, with no establishment of any seeded species, and consistent declines were found in seeded species as projects matured. We also focus in on North American drylands, assessing changes in success through time, evolutions in seed mix design, and overarching patterns of native versus exotic seed success.

INSR Native Seed Workshop: European Native Seed Producers Association

INSR Native Seed Workshop: Insights from the Australian Native Seed Report

INSR Native Seed Workshop: Development and Application of a Time-Release Giberellic Acid Seed Coating for Improving The Establishment of Species with Physiological Seed Dormancy

INSR Native Seed Workshop: Native Seed Partnerships: Connecting Plant Materials with Restoration Practitioners

INSR Native Seed Workshop: Seed Pelleting for Small Seeded Native Seeds

INSR Native Seed Workshop: International Network for Seed-Based Restoration

INSR Native Seed Workshop: Innovative Restoration Efforts in the Sagebrush Sea

INSR Native Seed Workshop: Native Seed Planning, Sourcing, and Procurement for Restoration

INSR Native Seed Workshop: Improving Forb Availability in Wyoming: Beginning with Forb Dormancy Break

INSR Native Seed Workshop: Initial Lab and Field Tests of Activated Carbon Coating Prototypes with a Standard Rangeland Drill

INSR Native Seed Workshop: A new perspective and approach to ecosystem restoration: a seed enhancement technology guide and case study

INSR Native Seed Workshop: IDIQ Procurement System and Forward Contracting for Native Seed Production

INSR Native Seed Workshop: Forecasting Seed Needs in Western Nevada

INSR Native Seed Workshop: National Seed Strategy Update

INSR Native Seed Workshop: The Brazilian Native Seed Network

Scaling Up Ecologically Appropriate Seed Supply in Canada: How the National Tree Seed Centre Can Help

The National Tree Seed Centre (NTSC) is Canada’s only national seed bank conserving the genetic diversity of temperate and boreal forest species. Since 1967, the NTSC has curated a living library for the global research community, with over 18,000 unique collections of 120 native woody species, detailed by collection coordinates. This diverse collection is available to anyone researching any aspect of ecology, biochemistry, breeding, genomics, restoration, reclamation, climate change or for educational purposes. Seed collections to protect and study herbaceous plant species at risk are also underway with First Nations, Parks Canada, NGOs and jurisdictional governments.

In this virtual workshop, NTSC staff will lead a tour of the seed bank, tissue culture and cryogenic facilities in Fredericton, New Brunswick. We will demonstrate the core collection activities, seed quality control, standard and exploratory testing, and 50 years of seed trait data available for restoration planning. Federal collaborators will present related research from the fields of genomics, Species at Risk recovery, and climate-based seed transfer.

The NTSC will engage SER2021 participants to help overcome challenges related to seed supply and conservation in Canada, before cumulative stressors accelerate. Key questions include “How can NTSC support your projects and supply chain of native plant materials?”, “How do we encourage policies requiring appropriate seed outside of industrial forestry?”, and “What Canadian species need a seed based action plan now?”. Workshop polling and post-conference surveys will harness the power of this conference to improve seed-based restoration outcomes in all temperate forest biomes.

Drawing restoration goals from the bottom-up: Assessing local interest in ecosystem services

Successfully achieving our urgent and ambitious global restoration goals will depend on how well communities embrace restoration programs at a local scale. Restoration initiatives are frequently implemented using top-down decision-making strategies where non-local organizations determine the goals and expected restoration outcomes on the ground, which can result in conflicting expectations among stakeholders. But empowering local communities in restoration planning can enhance the success of restoration initiatives over the long-term. This study aimed to assess local interest in enhancing ecosystem services associated with forest restoration in landscapes of varying degrees of degradation, as a means to promote inclusive, diverse and ethical restoration planning. We used an interdisciplinary mixed-methods approach to collect and assess both quantitative and qualitative data. We facilitated focus group interviews and community mapping activities using satellite imagery for 26groups of local community members in 14 rural districts in the Ecuadorian Andes and Amazon in 2019. Our results show that community members are more interested in enhancing regulating ecosystem services (45%) than cultural (30%) or provisioning (25%) services. Interest in ecosystem services depended on local need (e.g., landslide mitigation, water supply) and the degree of landscape degradation. Locals living in landscapes with higher degradation preferred a higher number and diversity of ecosystem services compared to locals in less degraded landscapes. Learning about the local needs, interests, and landscape conditions can help restoration practitioners to support the design of restoration initiatives that empower locals to guarantee the persistence of restored areas for the achievement of the restoration goals.

S6.2 IX International Meeting FuegoRED2020: Post-fire restoration in a changing world: vulnerability and resilience of forest ecosystems to fire

Seed morphometrics as a tool to site-specific seed sourcing for population reinforcement

Seed-based ecological restoration requires a careful selection of the source genetic material when aiming at the conservation of an evolutionarily significant unit or a strict endemic species. The Mediterranean basin is a biodiversity hotspot, characterised by high endemism shaped by the history of the climatic events. Plant population restoration requires specific considerations when it comes to seed sourcing. Morphological description of a discriminant feature is the most commonly used taxonomic criteria, however, multivariate morphometrics detect intraspecific morphological variations. Phenotype characterisation provides an accessible argument in seed sourcing prior to site restoration.

Mericarps of the strict endemic Ferula melitensis (Brullo et al., 2018) were collected from three different sites in the Maltese Islands and subjected to multivariate morphometrics based on ImageJ analysis. The shape of the mericarps has an important taxonomic role for this genus, and elongation variability in the characteristic oblong shape of the mericarp is found to be the main discriminant feature between populations (Figure 1), highlighting the morphological variability of this species at small geographical scale.

These results complete the recent morphological and genetic analysis of Ferula melitensis, which have established it as a distinct species from the more widespread Ferula communis. Consideration of the phenotype of the target species is crucial for population reinforcement, and the implementation of this standardised methodology using open-access software (ImageJ, Particles8) ensures both replicability and application to a wide range of species. The results provide a crucial tool for the improvement of sourcing site-specific seed material for native population reinforcement.

In search of disturbed lands: a community science approach for landscape level restoration priority setting and planning

Amid a crisis of biodiversity loss and estimates of degraded lands between 1–7B ha, ecological restoration is seen as an important pathway to restore and sustain biodiversity, ecosystem services, and related benefits. However, many managers lack the tools they need to systematically and comprehensively identify disturbed sites to prioritize restoration efforts given limited resources. We developed a novel, inexpensive, low-tech approach for training and engaging citizen scientists to identify areas in need of restoration within a defined area. The mapping process follows four phases: 1) Landscape scans by volunteers using Google Earth Pro (GE) imagery; 2) A second scan of all detected disturbances based on high resolution aerial photography; 3) Compilation of basic information about the degraded sites; 4) Addition of associated plant communities. We detected 67 new sites not previously identified by managers using an estimated 220 volunteer hours and only 20 staff hours. Each site has accompanying information including distance from nearest access point, cause of disturbance, and plant and soils detail. After completion, we conducted independent field visits of 33% of the detected sites and verified disturbance in all cases. We found that the remotely sensed approach provided better perspective to accurately measure the scale and original source of disturbance compared with field visits. The approach can be conducted over a relatively short period of time, using multiple volunteers, and allows managers to undertake landscape level restoration prioritization and planning and, if repeated, it can be used to monitor changes in degradation over time.

S7.1 Marine Ecosystem Restoration in changing oceans

Seed viability, germination, and early survival of Spartina alterniflora from the Bay of Fundy and Northumberland Strait for salt marsh restoration

Along the east coasts of North America, the saltwater cordgrass Spartina alterniflora is the bioengineer species of salt marshes, and essential for salt marsh restoration. However, at north temperate latitudes, little is known about its reproductive biology. Our research objective is to determine and compare seed viability, germination success and early seedling survival for different populations of S. alterniflora (both phenotypes: short and tall forms) in Maritime Canada. Specifically, we had short-form and tall-form S. alterniflora locations for each of 4 replicate salt marshes in each of the Bay of Fundy (macrotidal environment) and Northumberland Strait (microtidal environment). In September-October 2020, we collected ripe seeds (i.e., caryopsis) from each location once our shake test showed ~10 felled seeds. Seeds were stored for cold stratification, submerged in freshwater and 40 ppt saltwater at 4o C for ~12 wk. Following this, seed viability tested using tetrazolium chloride (TTC) was ~35–55%. Germination, under recommended diurnal thermoperiod conditions and scored using appearance of embryonic shoot (epicotyl) and root, was on average 35±1% after 2 wks and 45±2% after 1 mo (±SE, n=252 batches), with higher germination following freshwater (41–50% after 2 wks) than saltwater (22–26%) storage. Further, germination patterns were similar for short-form and tall-form phenotypes, but more variable and somewhat lower in the Northumberland Strait than in Bay of Fundy. Growth and survival of seedlings are being quantified in the greenhouse under three watering treatments: 0 ppt, 10 ppt, and incremental increases of 5 ppt/wk starting at 10 ppt, until full strength seawater is reached. Current average seedling survival after 8 wks in the greenhouse is 50.1%. Future plans include evaluating performance of seedling during outplanting in summer 2021. This research will contribute to creating a guide for salt marsh restoration and creation for Maritime Canada, by evaluating the strategy of using S. alterniflora seedlings.

Science Based? Yes, but Ecological Restoration is also all about Compromise

When planning projects, ecological restoration practitioners aim for the gold standard based on the best available science. In many instances, however, we are confronted with a barrage of challenges including, but not limited to, conflicting interest groups, competing habitat interests, scope/budget challenges, regulatory barriers, funder priorities, historical relationships and public distrust. These challenges often require adjustment to the scientific method and ultimately alter the end project – it
all boils down to compromise. In academia, as in our careers, we are trained to focus on science-based procedures that lead to predictable outcomes. As a practitioner with over 10 years of experience I have learned that ecological restoration, while science-based, is much more complex when put into practice. The soft skills required to manage these projects are just as valuable as the science itself. This presentation will explore the complexities of restoration projects, with an emphasis on stream restoration in highly altered, heavily used locations with sensitive habitats in regulated environments. I will reference Southern Ontario case studies, emphasizing the importance of honest communication, ongoing engagement and tactful negotiation to fulfill project goals and satisfy the needs of diverse parties. Establishing a culture where compromise is accepted, and even encouraged, is crucial for creating successful, resilient projects that have long lasting benefits within an entire community.

S7.2 Marine Ecosystem Restoration in changing oceans

Seeds of Success: Cultivating 20 Years of Plant Conservation

Seeds of Success (SOS) is a national native seed collection program in the US, led by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in partnership with the USDA Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Agricultural Research Service and many non-federal partners. SOS is the first step in the native plant materials development process to increase the quality and quantity of native seed available for restoring and supporting resilient ecosystems. SOS collections of wildland native seed are used for seed research and development such as germination trials, common garden studies, and protocol establishment. Additional uses include germplasm conservation, seed production, and ecosystem restoration. Portions of each collection are also held in long-term storage facilities for conservation.

SOS was established in 2001 by the BLM and includes many partners, such as botanic gardens, arboreta, zoos, and municipalities. All SOS teams share a common protocol to coordinate seed collecting and species targeting efforts.

To date, SOS has made more than 26,000 native seed collections comprising 5,800 unique taxa from 43 states across the US. In 2015, BLM received a $3.5 million mitigation award because of Hurricane Sandy to collect seed in coastal habitats from Virginia to Maine. Current SOS priorities include ecoregional programs in the Great Basin, Colorado Plateau, and Mojave Desert. Efforts are also underway to expand partnerships in the Southeastern U.S. to preserve the incredible plant biodiversity of the region.

Structured decision-making for Maritime Live Oak forest restoration

Maritime Live Oak (Quercus virginiana; MLO) forests along the Georgia (U.S.A.) coast are highly regarded for their multiple natural and cultural heritage values. In recent decades, MLO forests have shown evidence of limited live oak recruitment, which may result in undesired long-term effects on tree community structure, function, and resilience. Many MLO forest stewards and scientists share a common interest in conserving forests by planting live oaks to augment existing populations. But there is uncertainty regarding potential restoration strategies because knowledge about MLO ecosystem dynamics is limited and fragmented among stakeholders. We used structured decision-making to collaboratively develop a decision-support tool for live oak tree-planting strategies. First, we held workshops with MLO forest stewards to identify: the managers’ long-term objectives and shorter-term success indicators; spatial and temporal scales of likely management actions; a set of potential management options; and data, legal, and resource constraints. Then we constructed a transition matrix model using empirical data and expert knowledge to estimate parameters for juvenile tree growth and survival rates associated with alternative treeplanting strategies. The decision support tool incorporated the transition model and associated cost estimates of management alternatives in order to project likely outcomes, costs, associated uncertainties, and the degree to which alternatives would meet different management objectives. This process ensured that we capitalized on diverse understandings and perspectives and that the decision support tool would be directly relevant to stewards’ values, objectives, and information needs.

S8.1 Near-natural restoration of urban green infrastructure

Soil stoichiometric characteristics of intact, drained and restored wetlands

The stoichiometric relationships between organic carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are important features of the functioning of wetlands. We conducted a synthesis of the C:N:P stoichiometry of soils in intact, drained and restored wetlands from literature and Canadian wetlands. Soil C:N ratio in freshwater marsh soils remains surprisingly constrained within a range of 10 to 30:1. Drainage and restoration show no significant effects on soil C:N ratio compared to intact wetlands, suggesting that C and N are lost and regained proportionally. Yet, soil C: P and N:P ratios are significantly smaller in drained and restored sites than intact wetlands, mainly induced by the decrease of C and N after drainage, instead of an enrichment of P. P concentrations are not consistent under any certain land management in our study and show very site-dependent, probably relevant to the soil texture, Al3+ and Fe3+ concentration and the parent material at different sites. Our results show that soil C:P and N:P ratios are positively related to soil C concentration (R2 = 0.86 and 0.79, respectively; both p < 0.001), suggesting the overriding control of soil OC on determining the soil stoichiometric characteristics in freshwater marshes.

S8.2 Near-natural restoration of urban green infrastructure