Resources for Restoration Using Native Plants
Oct 29, 2026
Timelines and Techniques for Native Plant Materials
co-authored by practitioners attending the Annual Community of Practice Workshop in Terrace, BC on October 21
The six of us at Table 7 on Day 1 of the annual CoP gathering worked on tips to improve how we use native plant materials in restoration. The top points the team thought everyone should know:
- Allow generous and flexible timelines for native species propagation and planting - it takes longer than you think and can be quite costly.
- Use a variety of sources to maximize your investment; use sexual and asexual propagules (e.g., plugs grown from wild-foraged seed + cuttings or suckers that are clones of the parent plant).
- Ensure appropriate site prep is completed to address site-specific (and offsite) stressors and limiting factors - if the site's bulk density is too great to allow root penetration, for instance, it is unlikely your plants will survive.
- Make knowledge available and practical - not everyone in this field has access to R+D time so please share what you can, including a) species-specific information, b) general or "101" type information, and include c) local specificity that looks at connections across the whole web of life. Remember, we are stronger together.
In the spirit of making knowledge more accessible, here are some of the resources shared in the 'native plants and seeds' channel in our CoP's collaborative Slack workspace.
| Title of Resource (hyperlinked) | Description of Resource |
| Native Seeds: Supplying Restoration (9-part video series) | A 2023 SER-INSR video series exploring the native seed supply chain in the western U.S.A. |
| Standards for Native Seeds in Ecological Restoration | Series of documents providing an in-depth analysis and leading practices for each step of the native seed supply chain. Another publication from the International Network for Seed-based Restoration (INSR), published as a special issue of Restoration Ecology in 2020. |
| Seed Information Database | Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (RBGK) database of biological trait data based on measurements and observations on RBGK's Millenium Seed Bank + other published sources. Currently 197,609 records from 55,547 taxa. Information varies by species but may include information related to oil content; dispersal agents; protein content; seed weights; morphology; storage behavious; and germination. |
| Woody Plant Seed Collection Guide | A 2001 publication from the BC Ministry of Forests that lists some general and species-specific considerations for collecting seeds from many of BC's native tree and shrub species. |
| Tree Seed Working Group | Canadian Forest Genetics Association's TSWG that has been active since 1983. Averages 1-2 bulletin publications annually; the July 2026 edition (no. 77) includes diverse information from Tłı̨chǫ's reforestation initiative (NWT); to Don Pigott's retirement party (resource from Mr. Pigott in table below); and a piece in memoriam to the late Melissa Spearing with the National Tree Seed Centre ("Love You to the Moon and Back"). |
| A Manual for Growing and Using Seed from Herbaceous Plants Native to the Northern Interior of British Columbia | Written by Carla + Philip Burton (Symbios Research, Smithers) in 2003, contains both general and species-specific information on ecology, seed production, harvesting, processing, and special considerations for revegetation for 30+ northern grasses and forbs. |
| Indigenous Seed Collection Program | Launched by NRCan in 2022, ISCP is an Indigenous-led program that supports seed collection capacity and development within Indigenous communities and organizations across the part of Turtle Island now known as Canada. Includes a link to "Seeds and Stories" newsletter housed on the Open Science and Data Repository. The 2025 newsletter shares TEK and SEK on collecting and preserving white spruce seed. Information about the ISCP includes history, mission, contact information. |
| National Tree Seed Centre | Houses over 13,000 unique seed collections for more than 200 tree and shrub species across Canada in Fredericton, NB at the Canadian Forest Service’s Atlantic Forestry Centre. Lists publications, contact information, newsletter, and functions of NTSC, including but not limited to training and data. |
| Native Seed Producers of Canada | An association of farmers dedicated to growing and strengthening Canada's native seed supply. Hosts Annual Canadian Native Seed Summit, next occurring 10 March 2027. |
| Plant Propagation Protocols | Plant propagation protocols produced by students in ESRM 412 (Native Plant Production) at the University of Washington from 2003 to present. Includes 5000+ spp from the Pacific Northwest. Example listing: 2011 protocol for subalpine fir includes species-specific information on collection, processing, stratification, germination, hardening, harvesting, storage, and outplanting + has original protocol as an appendix. |
| Propagation Protocols - Native Plant Network | RNGR's (Reforestation, Nurseries, & Genetic Resources) Native Plant Network houses a searchable database with over 32,000 entries for thousands of North American spp. Using subalpine fir as our example again, there is a report from each of two seedlots: One grown in Kentucky in 2002 and another in Oregon in 2020. Users who are also growers can submit additions to the collaborative database. |
| Strengthening the National Native Seed Sector (webinar recording) | Canadian Wildlife Federation's 2025 webinar includes an update on the National Native Seed Strategy and features a variety of speakers leading impactful native seed and plant initiatives across the country. Additionally, Renny Grilz, co-owner of Blazing Star Wildflower Seed Company, and the Vice-President of the Native Seed Producers of Canada, gives a talk entitled “Scaling Restoration Starts with Seed: International Lessons for Canada”. |
| Growing Future Forests: Scaling Canada's Native Seed Supply Chain | 2022 publication collaboratively written by Wilder Climate Solutions, Accenture, and the NTSC. Report in slide deck format from a study intended to answer the question "Where will all the seeds needed for sustainable forestry, restoration and reclamation in Canada come from and who will supply them?". Assesses the current tree seed market in Canada, including 'seed supply, existing capacity, bottlenecks and opportunities to meet emerging forest landscape restoration demand by 2030 and beyond.' |
| Assessing Post-harvest Interim Seed Storage Conditions: A Case Study of Four Boreal Plant Species | 2022 publication from Seed Science and Technology from two researchers at the Centre for Boreal Research at NAIT (Peace River, AB). Has implications for future study + for practitioners wondering how long they can safely store their seeds (and how). |
| Growing and Propagating Native Plants | 2026 WWF-Canada publication outlining how to establish a seed orchard, harvest native seeds, processing tips, germination guideslines, and more. |
| Code of Practice for Native Seed Harvesting | Grassland Restoration Forum's operational guidelines for anyone involved in wild harvesting of native seed to help reduce impacts to the native plant community + overall ecosystem health. |
| BC Seed Bank for Rare and Culturally-significant Plants | The BC Seed Bank is an initiative by Nupqu Native Plant Nursery, Coastal Douglas-fir Conservation Partnership, UBC Botanical Garden, and Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship + provides storage facilities and supports capacity building for more than 50 community-based organizations that form the seed bank network |
| International Seed Federation | ISF is a non-profit NGO working to create the best environment for the global movement of seed and promote plant breeding and innovation in seed. |
| Seed Processing | Demonstrates how to create low-tech tools for seed cleaning + processing using common materials - 2014 resource created by Don Pigott (Yellow Point Propagation) and shared with permission from the author (.docx download) |
| HortOS - Canada's Live Wholesale Plant Market | Website listing many wholesale growers, including greenhouses and nurseries that primarily sell ornamental species. Not an exhaustive list of native plant growers, but includes a few northern B.C. suppliers |
| SANSC Native Seed market Needs and Capacity Assessment | 2025 report for the Southern Alberta Native Seed Collaborative to identify the current state of the native seed sector + opportunities to improve the native spp. seed market |
| Squiirel - Seed Ark | Squiirrel is a purpose built seed collection tool and marketplace providing verifiable provenance tracking and communications between seed collectors and seed users. |
| Planning and Executing Reclamation on Disturbed Sites Utilizing Native Seed (webinar recording) | Aaron McKay, General Manager for Fixed Earth, shares lessons learned from paired treatments using native seed encapsulated with other ecosystem components, e.g., endophytes, microbes, nutrients |
If your organization would like to be on the CoP organizing team, please get in touch with one of us through our organizations.
The Community of Practice Organizing Team, representing: Society for Ecosystem Restoration in Northern BC (SERNbc), Caribou Habitat Restoration Fund (CHRF) via the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF), Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP), and the BC Wildlife Federation (BCWF).
