Plant Material - Project Planning and Management for Ecological Restoration - page 120

• Collect from at least fifty individual donor plants of the same species. Try to collect similar
quantities from each donor plant. This method will avoid emphasizing a specific genetic
type.
• Pick colonies that are widely spaced from one another to avoid collecting from clones or
individuals with the same genetic composition.
• Do not collect from plants near or part of the general landscaping; these plants may not be
local but instead provided by a nursery with an unknown origin or contaminated genetics.
• Collection quantities vary depending on the habits of the plants. Many experts recommend not
collecting more than 10 percent of the seed produced in any year. This is critical for annual
plants that rely on the seed crop for the following year. Shrub and tree species produce vast
quantities of seed that do not germinate and that become part of the seed bank or are eaten by
various animals. Collecting higher amounts of these would not necessarily be unacceptable,
although there may be some species in this category that would warrant special treatment.
• Always fill out the seed collection forms and attach them to the bags while out in the field to
avoid labeling errors. Be sure to enter all appropriate data into your plant material records to
ensure source origins, collection dates, and quantities. This will be an important source of
information later if these plants are propagated and used on other sites or areas of your property.
As these guidelines are under continual revision, we suggest you refer to appropriate organizations
for the most current guidelines should you need to collect seed.
We cannot overemphasize that location and distance from your site can affect on your project.
The question of “How far can I go?” is difficult to answer. Many organizations and some public
agencies require material to be collected on-site or, at a maximum, within the watershed where
the project is located. In places of the world with significant topographic relief, a watershed may
be only a few hundred hectares.
Very few studies have concentrated on non-timber-related native species. Preliminary studies
with some coastal sage species in southern California indicate visible differences between popula-
tions about fifty miles apart (Montalvo and Ellstrand 2000). The effect of moving populations from
one area to another is not fully understood. A judgment has to be made on distance. As in the list
above, we suggest giving priority to the collection sites as close to your site as possible.
Other Types of Plant Propagules
Various other types of plant propagules can be collected and either installed directly onto your site
or “potted” and grown to adult size in a nursery. Table 8-1 compares the various aspects to consider
for the several plant material forms possible for restoration projects.
Plugs
Commonly used by producers involved with seed increase or contract grow operations, these
plants have a small but developed root system that enables handling on-site for immediate plant-