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Research ArticleRefereed Research
Open Access

A survey of native plant materials use and commercial availability in the Eastern United States

Sara Tangren, Edward Toth and Shanyn Siegel
Native Plants Journal March 2022, 23 (1) 17-32; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/npj.23.1.17
Sara Tangren
National Capital PRISM D.C. Department of Energy & Environment 1200 First Street NE Washington, DC 20002
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  • For correspondence: [email protected]
Edward Toth
Mid Atlantic Regional Seed Bank City of New York Department of Parks & Recreation 3808 Victory Blvd Staten Island, NY 10314
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Shanyn Siegel
Mid Atlantic Regional Seed Bank
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Abstract

We report on the opinions of respondents to a survey of native plant material (NPM) users east of the Mississippi River. We sought respondents who would have a sufficient depth of experience and interest to be able to answer the survey questions. To find potential respondents, we first built a geographically diverse list of NPM-user organizations and then asked them to help us promote the survey through their social networks. Survey respondents expressed a preference for local ecotypes (74%) and almost no interest in cultivars (0.3%). Respondents identified commercial availability as the greatest barrier to their use of local ecotypes. Of the respondents, 92% use native seeds, and those who prefer local ecotypes are shopping farther afield than their concept of “local” would support. The most popular seed vendor is on average 584 km (363 mi) away from the respondent’s location, and the second most popular is 1296 km (805 mi) away. Respondents who think of local as being in-state buy out-of-state 85% of the time. Of the respondents, 90% have less than 2 year’s lead time before acquiring NPM, which is not enough time to have wild seeds agronomically increased or plants contract grown. Given those circumstances, 83% would be willing to pay a premium to obtain the ecotypes they want. Among potential solutions to the commercial shortage problem, 99% of respondents supported creation of an online marketplace for sharing supply-and-demand information. Respondents expect their demand for NPMs to increase, highlighting the importance of addressing these issues now.

KEY WORDS
  • native seeds
  • wild-collected seeds
  • lead time
  • local ecotype
  • cultivar
  • procurement policy
  • willingness to pay a premium
NOMENCLATURE
  • USDA NRCS (2020)
  • Copyright © 2022 the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

This open access article is distributed under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) and is freely available online at: http://npj.uwpress.org

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Native Plants Journal: 23 (1)
Native Plants Journal
Vol. 23, Issue 1
20 Mar 2022
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A survey of native plant materials use and commercial availability in the Eastern United States
Sara Tangren, Edward Toth, Shanyn Siegel
Native Plants Journal Mar 2022, 23 (1) 17-32; DOI: 10.3368/npj.23.1.17

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A survey of native plant materials use and commercial availability in the Eastern United States
Sara Tangren, Edward Toth, Shanyn Siegel
Native Plants Journal Mar 2022, 23 (1) 17-32; DOI: 10.3368/npj.23.1.17
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Keywords

  • native seeds
  • wild-collected seeds
  • lead time
  • local ecotype
  • cultivar
  • procurement policy
  • willingness to pay a premium
  • USDA NRCS (2020)
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