Native Seed Production Manual for the Pacific Northwest by Amy Bartow (review)

The USDA Plant Material Centers (PMC) have been at the cutting edge of native species propagation for decades, gaining valuable insight into what works and what does not work with native species. This book is an outstanding attempt by Amy Bartow and the Corvallis Oregon PMC to provide technical guidance to professionals, practitioners, conservationists, and the restoration community based on their vast experience with native herbaceous plant species. While much of this valuable information may be published in the primary literature and technical reports, this book makes that information readily available to the general public and scientific community in a user-friendly format for the first time. The volume is a must-have for native seed propagation in the Pacific Northwest and is a valuable resource for anyone interested in native species seed production, with approximately 12% of the featured species having wide geographic distributions (ca. Solidago canadensis).

The book begins with a short section on the basics of establishing native species seed plots, and they reinforce important management considerations such as weed control. It is noteworthy how the authors handle the need for maintaining genetic diversity, and by extension, the need for accounting for variation in plant flowering and seed maturation. This focus requires the grower to be creative in their approach to managing these native seed plots in order to provide a seed product well suited for conservation and restoration activities. The reader will be impressed with the diverse selection of native species, from some that have very restricted distributions (Erigeron decumbens and Castilleja levisecta) to more widely distributed species (Deschampsia caespitosa). The authors include basic biology for each species, such as pollinators, breeding systems, and species-specific seed-processing information. They also provide practical advice on establishment, weed control, fertilization, and harvesting.

The authors include beautiful pictures of each species, close-ups of seeds (with a scale in the background), and some images of seed production plots. The overview of equipment at the end of the book is very helpful, with the authors presenting the pros and cons of seed-harvesting, threshing, and seed-processing equipment. The one improvement I would like to see is the inclusion of the plant family names, because seed propagation of a closely related species may provide some guidance when your species of interest is not presented in this book. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Corvallis PMC Native Seed Production Manual for the Pacific Northwest is a great addition to the native plant propagation literature and could be used as a model for other agencies with native species experience.