Washington State Plant Materials

06/23/2008

"Plant Solutions for Conservation Needs"

Developing plant species and plant technology to improve plant production and health, and help solve natural resource concerns is one of the main objectives of the plant materials program. Finding the right plant or plants for the job is important when dealing with forage production, erosion control, habitat restoration, and filtration of excess nutrients or sediment.

The NRCS Plant Materials Program has developed many native and introduced cultivars that have proven successful for forage/range production, revegetation, and erosion control. Proper seeding and planting procedures are essential to assure plant species establishment. The following plant material information will assist agency personnel and landowners with proper species selection and establishment to serve their conservation needs.
 

The Plant Materials staff have recently released the following 17 new Technical Notes. 
The Plant Materials Technical Notes are housed at the NRCS Electronic Field Office Technical Guide (eFOTG).

PM-TN1    Washington Guide for Conservation Seedings and Plantings
PM-TN2    Grass, Grass-like, Forb, Legume, and Woody Species for the Intermountain West Plant Identification
PM-TN3    Partial List of Vendors of Conservation Plants, seeds, and Planting Supplies
PM-TN4    NRCS Plant Materials Releases
PM-TN5    Plant Identification
PM-TN6    Seedbed Preparation and Seed to Soil Contact
PM-TN7    Seed Quality, Seed Technology, and Drill Calibration
PM-TN8    Mulches and Mulching for Erosion Control
PM-TN9    Terminology and Definitions Associated with Revegetation
PM-TN10    Riparian Revegetation - Plants
PM-TN11    Riparian Vegetation - Technology
PM-TN12    Wetland Revegetation - Descriptions of Selected Species and Technology
PM-TN13    Windbreak, Shelterbelt, and Landscaping Technology
PM-TN14    Conservation Cover Technology
PM-TN15    Conservation Reserve Program Technology
PM-TN16    Threatened and Endangered Species of Washington
PM-TN17    Weeds - Descriptions of Selected Species, Control, Herbicide Technology, and Washington State Noxious Weed Lists

The Washington Guide for Conservation Seedings and Plantings (PM-TN1)
contains the following interactive Excel spreadsheets:

These spreadsheets require Microsoft Excel or Adobe Acrobat Reader.

These files are interactive.
For increased usability:  Right mouse click on the file name and select “Save Target As” to copy the file to your computer before trying to open it.

Remember:  There may be multiple worksheets with each workbook.
                     After completing the worksheets 'rename' your work file to preserve the original spreadsheet for future use.

  Washington Guide for Conservation Seedings and Plantings  (PDF; 248 KB)
       
This guide is intended to be used as a tool to select suitable plant species for conservation plantings for erosion control, forage production, forestry uses, habitat improvement or restoration, and filtration.  Instructional materials and additional links are provided in the guide.

        The following Excel spreadsheets are referenced in the guide:
       
        Master Species -  (XLS; 1.3 MB)
                Alphabetically lists tree, shrub, grass, forb, and wetland species found in Washington   

        Seeding Species and Rate Calculator - (XLS; 143 KB)
                Aids in planning seeding mixtures and determining seeding rates for different conservation uses

        Western Washington Trees and Shrubs - (XLS; 42 KB)
                Describes soil/climate suitability and wildlife attributes of native trees and shrubs in Western Washington

        Eastern Washington Seeding and Planting Recommendations -
        A series of spreadsheets respective to precipitation zone gives seeding recommendations relative to:
        Forage Production, Erosion Control, Habitat Improvement/restoration, Filtration   

                6 - 9 inch precipitation zone  (XLS; 67 KB)
                9 - 12 inch precipitation zone  (XLS; 71 KB)
                12 - 15 inch precipitation zone  (XLS; 66 KB)
                15 - 18 inch precipitation zone  (XLS; 60 KB)
                18 - 25 inch precipitation zone  (XLS; 61 KB)
                25 + inch precipitation zone  (XLS; 64 KB)
                Irrigated  (XLS; 62 KB)                   

  The Washington State Plant Materials Center website provides additional regional conservation planting information.

The three state area served by the Pullman PMC includes eastern Washington, eastern Oregon (east of the Cascade Mountain range), and northern Idaho. Testing has been performed at a number of locations but currently is concentrated at Pullman and the WSU Dryland Research Unit, Lind, WA.

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