Native Forb Cultivation: A Project Overview Climate Change and Invasive Increase in Wildland Fire Great Basin Fires: 1870-2007

3,000,000.0 . 2,500,000.0

2,000,000.0

1,500,000.0

1,000,000.0

500,000.0 Yearly Acres Burned Burned Acres Yearly

0.0

1870 1900 1911 1915 1919 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 264,6614.0 Acres 264,6614.0 Total Acres (0.2% of GB) 2,722,782.2 Acres 16,756,351.1 Total Acres (11.5% of GB) War on Cheatgrass

• C:\Documents and Settings\DWRUSER\Desktop\PPt's and presentation info\photos\CheatgrassPresentation20080 123[1]_02_0003.jpg BLM CONSOLIDATED Non-Native SEED BUYS QUANITY Native Seed

5,000,000

4,500,000 4,486,650 4,045,000 4,000,000

3,500,000 3,020,000

3,000,000 2,920,000 2,521,395

2,500,000 2,396,000

2,089,245 LBS OFLBS SEED

2,000,000 1,890,000

1,803,750 1,535,000

1,500,000 1,484,295

1,318,400

1,053,255 970,000

1,000,000 972,235

701,650

667,750

654,550

534,650 530,000

500,000 493,500

327,670

238,450 230,400

169,590 135,330 0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Why Are Natives Important?

Increase diversity

Reduce weed spread

Improve wildlife and range habitat Goal: Restore Degraded Ecosystems

Shrubs Grasses Forbs Shrubs Can be Efficiently Collected in Large Quantities From Wildland Stands Grasses

• Most Grass are not practical in a wildland collection setting however there are several species and accessions currently in production. What Do Forbs Add to the Mix? * Support a greater variety of organisms * Provide cover and soil stabilization * Extend forage availability

* Improve esthetics * Increase forage quality * Supply critical nutrients and succulence * Forb fruits, , and are frequently important foods of upland game birds Market Demand for Forbs $80+ Lupines Beeplant Globemallows 1,000 lbs

Annual sunflower Yarrow 10,000 lbs Palmer penstemon Flax

Sainfoin 100,000 lbs Alfalfa < $4 lb Small Burnet Utilization Generalities

• High Seed Yields

Establish well • Low Cost Seed Persist Desirable

• Wide Utilization Cultivating Native Forbs There are a plethora of on the landscape, which are good candidates for agronomic production? Seed is Collected From Wildland Stands Seed Is Increased Through For Research: and Sold to Seed 1.Develop Propagation Protocols Vendors and Cultivation Methods 2. Screen Species for Practicality of Cultivation

Seed is Purchased by Federal and State Agencies and Used in Restoration of Degraded Areas or Post Fire Rehabilitation Selecting New Species A Different Approach • Collecting - few (2-3) biotypes • Propagation screening • Observation plots • Proof of concept Desirable Attributes for Agronomic

Production :

– Tall 1-6 ft. Upright growth habit – Determinate flowering – Good seed retention – Abundant seed set – Annually productive – Easily established from seed – Long lived – Disease resistant – Broad distribution Genera in the Screening Process Common Name Genus Common Name Agastache giant hyssop sunflower Amsinckia fiddleneck Hymenopappus hymenopappus Argemone munita flatbud pricklypoppy Hymenoxys rubberweed Aster aster Iris iris Astragalus milkvetch Linum subteres sprucemont flax Balsamorhiza hookeri Hooker's balsamroot Lithospermum stoneseed Calochortus mariposa lilly Lomatium nudicaule barestem biscuitroot Castilleja paintbrush Mentzelia blazingstar Chaenactis pincushion Nicotiana attenuata coyote tobacco Rocky Mountain Cleome serrulata beeplant Oenothera evening primrose Cryptantha cryptantha Packera groundsel Enceliopsis nudicaulis nakedstem sunray Penstemon beardtongue cleftleaf Erigeron fleabane Phacelia crenulata wildheliotrope Frasera albomarginata desert frasera Potentilla slender cinquefoil Thelypodium manyflower blanketflower milleflorum thelypody Helianthella one helianthella Species Screening Species Screening

• – heterophylla – aurantiaca – grandiflora – glauca

• Traits – 1-3 scapes – Solitary heads – Wind dispersed – Flower can be extended with supplemental water

Agoseris heterophylla Agoseris - heterophylla - grandiflora

Agoseris - glauca - aurantiaca Agoseris grandiflora Lucky Peak Nursery

Agoseris Production Categories

A. glauca A. aurantiaca A. grandiflora, A. heterophylla Western Yarrow

Needed: Collections from low precipitation areas. • Seed set controlled Lewis Flax by irrigation practices • Upright habit mechanically harvested • 2nd year seed producer • 3-5 years good seed production • 500 pounds per acre ($13-24 per pound) • some rust issues • wide distribution (U.S. and ) Sand or sharpleaf penstemon

•Determinate •Upright Habit Collected with Combine W/alfalfa concave •2 years to seed production •Short-lived (4 years) •250-300lbs. Per Acre (est. $100+ Per Pound) •No Disease issues reported, it drops seed shortly after ripening •Distribution, NV, ID, OR, WA, (Requires sandy soils) Showy Goldeneye

• Indeterminate (some ability to control with irrigation) • Upright growth habit (collected with combine) • 1st year seed production • 2 years of good seed production • Seed per acre? • $40-140 per pound • Disease issues unknown • Distribution, broad found across UT and in most counties of NV Globemallow Species • Indeterminate • Upright growth habit a lot of hand harvesting some mechanical (swath then combine method) • 2nd year seed producer • At least 5 years good seed production • 250 pounds per acre • $50-90 dollars per pound • Susceptible to rust • Broad distrabution in the west Potential Yield Rhonda Pace 5.1 Pounds of Seed Produced in 2007 and 5.3 pounds Globemallow Species Average Per Seed of seed in 2008 on 500 square feet Production at 18" or 12" Plant Spacing of land= 15,000 dollars per acre (Box Elder County) 8 7

6

5

4 18" Globemallow Seed Production Per Acre at $35/lb 3 12"

$10,000.00 ms Gramsseed 2 $9,000.00 $8,000.00 1 $7,000.00 0 $6,000.00 SPCO2 SPGR SPPA SPPS $5,000.00 $4,000.00 Species $3,000.00 $2,000.00 $1,000.00 $0.00 36" X 18" 36" X 12" 22" X 18" 22" X 12"

Row and Plant Spacing The Hawksbeard Species

• Determinate • Upright habit • 3 years to establish • Persist for at least 5 years once established • Seed per acre data in the works • Disease issues, very prone to insect damage in the seedling stage of development • Wide distribution Arrowleaf Balsamroot

• Determinate • Upright growth habit (facilitating combine) • 3-5 years to establish and produce seed • Persist 20 to 30 years after established • 75 to 125 pounds of seed per acre • $33-120 per pound • Disease issues none however seed predation by insects is a real issue Hooker's balsamroot • Distribution, Broad distribution in the western US Fernleaf Biscuitroot • Determinate • Very large, upright habit, Hand Harvest • 3 to 4 years to establish • Persist and produce seed for over 20 years • 200-400 pounds of seed per acre • No disease issues reported can be polinator limited • Distribution western and northwestern U.S. Gray’s biscuitroot

• Determinate • Upright habit, usualy hand harvested mechanical harvest? • 2nd year seed production • Not known, tends to be between 15 and 20 years for other species of Lomatium • Not known usually between 200-400 pounds per acre for other Lomatium Species • No known disease issues • Not widely distributed Long time to establishment

• Don’t want to take up valuable field space • Dense plantings in raised beds Crop Lifter

Winter and summer senescent harvest at different ages. What Species Will Work on My Land? • What equipment do I have for cultivating/harvesting? • How much space do I have? • Am I dependent on the crop to sustain me the first year? • What is my water situation? • What are my soils like? • What is the climate like? • What are my interests? Shotgun Approach

• Plant several species • Small quantities • Keep isolation distances in mind! (you can find this information from state agriculture agency) 2008 Planting Information

Canaday Farm, Elko, NV.

State

name

County

Seeded

Acreage Acreage Common Common longspur lupine Elko NV 0.06 hairy bigleaf lupine Juab UT 0.07 silvery lupine Elko NV 0.04 annual agoseris Humboldt NV 0.04 barestem biscuitroot Elko NV 0.06 yellow spiderflower Nye NV 0.58 goldeneye Lincoln NV 0.09 western stoneseed Elko NV 0.06 scarlet gilia VNS UT 0.06 flatbud pricklypoppy Juab UT 0.07 Blazingstar Juab UT 0.02 Menzies' fiddleneck Eureka NV 0.06 Menzies' fiddleneck Elko NV 0.03 desert frasera Iron UT 0.06 manyflower thelypody Eureka NV 0.06 silky lupine Juab UT 0.03 Slender cinquefoil Elko NV 0.06 scarlet globemallow Davis/ UT 0.62 gooseberryleaf globemallow NV 0.58 sulphur-flower buckwheat ID/OR/NV 0.14 sharpleaf penstemon ID/OR/NV 1.29 sharpleaf penstemon ID/OR 0.97 fernleaf biscuitroot Gooding ID 0.21 limestone hawksbeard Elko NV 0.37 Seedling Establishment Canaday Farm May 12, 2009

16

14

12

10

8

6

4

2 avg # plants per linear ft linearper plants # avg 0

N-sulate Uncovered Cultural Practices Seeding Rates for 1 Plant / Linear Foot. Elko NV, 2008

Additional Seed N-sulate Uncovered Quantity Rate Rate Lot # Plants/ft PLS / ft lbs/acre Plants/ft PLS / ft lbs/acre

AMSIN-P4-2008 13.6 3.74 0.50 1.4 37.21 4.96 10.0 X Amsin-P6-2008 6.1 2.83 0.35 0.0 ? CRIN-U2-08 1 32.43 1.70 0.2 194.61 10.19 6.0 X HEMUN-B4-2006 2.3 7.87 0.26 0.0 ? LONU2-P1-2008 11.9 5.77 0.94 0.1 1030.15 167.81 178.5X LUAR3-U5-2007 1.5 14.73 7.01 0.2 94.71 45.08 6.4X LUARB6-P4-2008 3.2 5.42 3.68 0.0 ? LUSE4-B28-2006 1.8 10.75 10.64 0.6 30.56 30.24 2.8X POGR9-P1-2008 6.3 4.03 0.05 0.0 ? Peac-Pooled NBR13,19,20,35,36,43,53 10.4 11.01 0.20 0.0 ? Peac-Pooled SRP12jha 1.5 49.15 0.90 0.9 78.99 1.45 1.6X THMI5-P2-2008 9.5 7.64 0.05 0.0 ? VNS - IPAG 3 2.36 0.08 0.0 ?

Cultural Practices Native Forb Utilization Categories

Niche Limited Difficult to competition produce < 100 lbs Market Species

Special Use 100-1000 lbs Moderate Cost Species

Least 1000 + lbs expensive Restoration Species