Native Seeds for Restoration Plantings and
 Seed Banking Southern California's biodiversity

Seed banking offers a modicum of protection against climate change, natural disasters and disease, and helps sustain biodiversity at the ecosystem, species, and genetic levels around the world and here in Southern California's  wild places.  Many federal and state agencies as well as dedicated nonprofits are banking common and rare species against these and other unforeseeable future events.

Habitat Works has collected over 560 pounds of pre- and post-fire native seeds,
from acorns down to the tiniest asters.

Seed Banking

     In Southern California's wildlands, overly frequent or extremely hot fires can make recovery difficult.  Too-frequent fires can prevent obligate seeders from rebuilding a sufficient seed bank in the soil, producing few plants post fire resulting in an insufficient mature population from which to rebuild the soil seed bank.  Extremely hot fires can kill plant species and their associated soil microorganisms outright instead of stimulating them or providing nutrients for further growth. 
     In both cases, having native seed from watershed-and-elevation appropriate locations immediately available for restoration plantings increases the sustainability of a bio-diverse ecosystem and preserves the long-term survivability of our native flora and the wildlife that depends on them.

Restoration Plantings

     With a well stocked seed bank, land managers facing the devastation of an extreme or frequent fire event can quickly grow native seedlings in situ or a nursery setting. This eliminates the lag time involved in collecting seed from nearby unburned areas which many be vital to surviving wildlife or difficult to collect in post-fire conditions. It also preserves the biodiversity of populations which may have limited geographical distribution, and which suffer significant loss when a fire burns through their area. Diversity in population genetics offers the most resilience to native flora and the native fauna which depends on them.

Collection Methods

     Seed collecting involves an intimate relationship with the habitat, knowing where desired plant species occur, and when to collect for optimum seed viability.  Annual rainfall, temperature extremes, diseases, pests and pollinator populations all play a role in the seed production in a given year, and the optimal timing for harvest.  We accomplish successful harvests through multiple site visits during seed ripening season, onsite examination of seed as it matures, and optimum collecting and drying techniques which increase seed viability.
     Seed banking of native flora is always under permit and consultation with botanists or ecology specialists, and protocols are developed to safeguard existing populations as well as increase the biodiversity of the samples collected. 

Other Uses for Native Seeds

     On one infamous fire on the Angeles National Forest, the fire burned all vegetation to the ground and exposed a vulnerable archeological site to vandalism and theft.  Fortunately, the area had recently been collected for a healthy sampling of native seeds, and they were immediately available for planting at the arch site.  The quick coverage provided by these plants covered and protected the site in short order, and helped the whisperings of the area's cultural heritage remain unmolested.

Habitat Works is currently seed collecting on the Angeles National Forest.
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