The plant conservation program helps maintain and restore western native plant communities on public lands, specifically in response to large-scale wildfires that create large areas needing…

The plant conservation program helps maintain and restore western native plant communities on public lands, specifically in response to large-scale wildfires that create large areas needing revegetation and restoration. A lack of native seed in diversities and quantities necessary to restore native plant communities and ecosystem services hinders this restoration. Research is needed on the appropriateness of seeds for given areas and management needs and long-term plant community responses to management efforts on public lands. Key areas of research and assistance needed in colorado include 1) support for habitat management efforts to restore habitat for keystone wildlife and pollinator and increase on-the-ground project work to reduce the threats to sage grouse, rare plants, and other sensitive species in high priority habitats, 2) development of genetically appropriate native plant material for use in habitat restoration and rehabilitation, 3) support for studies to improve the effectiveness of conservation restoration efforts to include, but not be limited to, plant ecological, plant genetics, and ecophysiological studies, seed bank persistence, plant propagation and development of agronomic production practices, and trait and or seed source evaluations as well as seeding treatment and tool development, 4) implementation of conservation actions for high priority rare plant species, 5) increased understanding of rare plant biology and threats, 6) monitoring, protecting, and restoring habitat that supports rare plants on BLM lands, and 7) assisting BLM in restoring public lands using native plant materials.