Plant Materials Program

The purpose of the program is to provide native plants and plant related technology that can help solve natural resource problems. Beneficial uses for which plant material may be developed include coastal shoreline and dune stabilization, biomass production, carbon sequestration, erosion reduction, wetland restoration, water quality improvement, streambank and riparian area protection, and other special conservation treatment needs. Scientists at the Plant Materials Centers seek out plants that show promise for meeting an identified conservation need and test their performance. After multiple years of testing, plant selections are released to the private sector for commercial production. The work at 27 plant materials centers nationwide is carried out cooperatively with state and Federal agencies, commercial businesses, and seed and nursery associations.

Three plant materials centers (Golden Meadow, East Texas, and Jamie L. Whitten) provide assistance to the state of Louisiana. Each center serves an area within the state of Louisiana that represents unique land resource areas.

To learn more about the Plant Materials Program nationwide, visit the National Plant Materials Program Website.

Plant Materials Centers East Texas Plant Materials Center Golden Meadow Plant Materials Center Jamie L. Whitten Plant Materials Center Click on the map above to access information on the Plant Materials Centers serving Louisiana.

Plant Materials Policy, Procedures, Tools and Aids National Plant Materials Manual Plant Material Collection Guide Plant Collections and Field Plantings Plant Materials Publications PLANTS National Database The following document requires Adobe Acrobat. Louisiana Plant Materials 03-08 Long Range Plan  (PDF; 38 KB) Plant Materials Resources in eFOTG

Other Helpful Links Louisiana Native Plant Initiative Current Status of Coastal Wetland Plants Research and Restoration Efforts The following proceedings are from the November 14, 2008 Symposium on Current Status of Coastal Wetland Plants Research and Restoration Efforts. Coastal wetland disappearance has been a major issue in Louisiana for more than a decade. Efforts are underway to develop superior and highly adaptive native coastal plants, seed-based technologies for large-scale restoration, and innovative engineering revegetation techniques. These plant-based products and revegetation technologies are being developed by several laboratories and could be tailored into current construction engineering to develop more successful coastal wetland loss remediation. The magnitude of Louisiana coastal marsh loss is unprecedented and occurs at the estimated rates of 65-91 km2 annually, representing 80% of the entire coastal wetland loss in the United States. For the complete proceedings please follow the link below.   The following documents require Adobe Acrobat. Complete Proceedings from the Symposium on Current Status of Coastal Wetland Plants Research and Restoration Efforts

Last Modified: 12/02/2008