Article Figures & Data
Figures
- Figure 1.
Geographic origin of respondent organizations (n = 717) [Q1, Q2].
- Figure 2.
The 32 Level III Ecoregions in the survey area and respondent organization locations (n = 629 respondents, 1700 responses) [Q5]. Base map from US EPA NHEERL (2013).
- Figure 3.
Factors that limit respondents’ use of local ecotype seeds [Q23]. Responses for local ecotype plants are nearly identical and not shown. Note: Because of the ordinal nature of the x-axis, the connecting dashes accurately reflect increase or decrease, but not rates of increase of decrease.
- Figure 4.
Commercial availability of native seeds as reported by respondents who prefer straight species (n = 104) or local ecotypes (n = 389), two-tailed t-test for unequal variances, t(184) = 7.37, P <.0001, Cohen’s D = .78 [Q14xQ19].
- Figure 5.
Commercial availability of local ecotype native plants (left) and seeds (right) on a scale of 0 to 5 (never to always). Respondents who rank availability on the poorer half of the scale (0, 1, 2) are shown in red, those on the better half of the scale (3, 4, 5) in blue.
In response to an open-ended survey question, 39 respondents told us that vendor labeling makes the genetic origin of “native” plant material unclear. As demonstrated by the labels at a plant sale (left) in Baltimore County, Maryland, creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera Sims [Polemoniaceae]) is being sold as a “US Native.” The natural range of this species, however, is limited to a small fraction of the US, as indicated by the bright green counties on the Biota of North America map (right) (Kartesz 2014). Furthermore, the label provides no information on whether the plants are cultivars or straight species. Flower/label photo by Judy Fulton, EcoPlant Consulting
- Figure 6.
The usefulness of an online listing of commercially available, ecoregional native plant materials (n = 641) [Q16].
- Figure 7.
How much more respondents would be willing to pay (x-axis) for the local ecotype plants they want (n = 336). The lower 4 panels divide respondents according to how limiting the cost of native plants is for them (n = 44, 101, 66, and 33, respectively) [Q22xQ23a]. Responses for seeds are nearly identical and not shown. Fisher’s Exact Test of Independence (n = 244, P <.0005) [Q22xQ23a].
- Figure 8.
How lead time affects whether respondents select species based on commercial availability, χ2 (3, n = 577) = 19.422, P = .0002 [Q11xQ12].
Tables
Year Author(s) Respondents Region n Definition confusion Local preference Commercial availability Cost Research, education Demand 1998 Waterstrat, Deeds, Harkess Mostly nursery owners SE US 196 Not asked Not asked Poor selection, quantity Not asked Not asked + 1999 Tamimi Landscape architects Hawaii 29 People vs. plants Not applicable The greatest challenge Not limiting LUM + 2002 Potts, Roll, Wallner Landscape; retail; plant, seed growers Colorado 33 Not asked Not asked Poor for seeds 33%, larger plant stock Not limiting LUM, PPP, PE, CE, POP + 2003 Hooper Landscape architects Utah 136, 15 About “native” 86% Prefer in-state 87% Most limiting factor 79% Serious factor 28% LUM, POP + 2007 Brzuszek, Harkess, Mulley Landscape architects SE US 145 Not asked Not asked Greatest challenge 63% Not limiting POP + 2009 Brzuszek, Harkess Wholesale, retail SE US 129 Not asked Not asked Greatest challenge 15% Not limiting CE, POP + 2010 Brzuszek, Harkess, Kelly Master Gardeners SE US 979 Not asked Not asked Greatest challenge 68% Not limiting POP + 2010 Peppin, Fule, Lynn, Mottek- Lucas, Sieg Native seed suppliers, users Arizona, New Mexico 37, 33 About “local” 65% Concerned about source 93% Greatest challenge 27% One of the greatest obstacles 22% SP, STZ Not asked 2011 Kauth, Pérez Wildflower growers Florida 51 About “native” 64% Concerned to some degree 90% Poor species 77%, poor seed 54% Lowest ranked concern CE, PE, SP + Abbreviations: “+” = increasing; CE = customer education; LUM = landscape use and maintenance; PE = professional education; POP = better labels and (or) point of purchase materials; PPP = plant production protocols; SE US = Southeastern US; SP = seed germination, storage, and (or) production protocols; STZ = seed transfer zones.
Organizational structure Respondents (%) Nonprofit organization 29 State government 21 Federal government 16 For-profit business 14 County government 8 Other 7 Municipal government 3 Collaborative 2 - TABLE 3
Concepts that respondent organizations include in their understanding of what constitutes local provenance, χ2 (10, n = 1202 responses) = 468, P <.0001; 537 respondents.
Concept of local Respondents (%) Multi-county 48a Plant hardiness zone 34bc State 30bc County 25bc 160 km (100-mile radius) 20cdef EPA Level III ecoregion 18cdef 80 km (50-mile) radius 16def EPA Level IV ecoregion 14defg A radius over 160 km (100 miles) 9fgh Provisional seed transfer zone 6ghi Empirical seed transfer zone 3hi Notes: Proportions followed by the same letter are not significantly different using a Bonferroni corrected alpha = .0028 [Q9c].
- TABLE 4
Types of projects that respondents use native plant materials for, χ2 (1, n = 3615 responses) = 1240, P < .0001; 681 respondents.
Concept of local Respondents (%) Ecological restoration 85a Pollinator support 82a Wildlife habitat improvement 79a To manage/steward our lands 64b Mitigation/ecosystem creation 47c Horticultural landscapes 39c Flood/water resource mgt 29de Green infrastructure 27de Land reclamation 24def Roadside vegetation mgt 21efg Post-fire/storm rehabilitation 16fgh To produce plants to sell 14gh Notes: Values followed by the same letter are not significantly different using a Bonferroni corrected alpha = .00333 [Q7].
- TABLE 5
Average distance, as the crow flies, between respondents and their commercial seed sources.
Seed vendor Respondents (%) km A 47 584 B 22 1296 Wild collection 15 NA C 13 642 D 10 1044 E 6 177 F 5 153 G 4 314 H 4 150 I 4 251 J 3 195 K 3 237 L 3 710 Notes: Vendors selected by more than 10 respondents are listed (n = 429 respondents, 611 responses) [Q21]. 1 km = 0.62 mi
- TABLE 6
Types of technical information respondents would find helpfu (n = 617 respondents; 3314 responses) [Q27].
Type of information Percentage Ecoregional species lists 68 Plant establishment protocols 66 Seeding rates/planting densities 65 Species fact sheets 61 Plant communities and species 56 Propagation protocols 54 Seed transfer guidelines 43 Reference site information 41 Template garden designs 31 Landscape maintenance tips 31 If other, please describe: 15 None of the above 5 Q1a This information is used to help us analyze the data. Under no circumstances would you or your organization be singled out in any summary of the survey results. Our findings will be aggregated so that individuals and their organizations remain anonymous. Organization name: _______________ Q1b Department, branch office, or other sub-unit name, if applicable: ____________ Q2 Please select from the list of states below to indicate where your office is located. Q3 Please select the option that best describes your organization’s structure. business/non-profit/federal/state/county/municipal/working group/other Q4 Please select the term that best describes the scale at which your organization operates. local/regional/statewide/multi-state/nationwide Q5 Please click on the map below to select the EPA Level III Ecoregion(s) served by your organization. Q6 Does your organization use native plants or seeds in its projects? both/native plants only/native seeds only/neither Q7 Please select all that apply. For which purposes does your organization use native plant materials? ecological restoration/pollinator support/wildlife habitat/stewardship of lands we own/mitigation or ecosystem restoration/horticultural landscapes/flood management or water resources/green infrastructure/land reclamation/roadside vegetation/post fire or storm rehabilitation/production of plants for sale/other Q8a My agency would be open to changing project specifications to include the use of locally-adapted, native plants and seeds. I agree/I disagree/I don’t know Q8b My office/department is allowed to change project specifications to include the use of locally-adapted, native plants and seeds. I agree/I disagree/I don’t know Q8c Within my job duties, I am empowered to change project specifications to include the use of locally-adapted, native plants and seeds. I agree/I disagree/I don’t know Q9a Does your organization have a definition of “native plant”? yes/no/we refer to another organization’s definition and that organization is ________ /don’t know Q9b Does the native plant definition used by your organization make any reference to ecoregion, seed zone, local provenance, or otherwise specify plants with a local genetic origin? yes/no/don’t know Q9c Please select all that apply. Which concepts are included in your organization’s interpretation of local provenance? EPA Level III ecoregions/EPA Level IV ecoregions/Plant Hardiness Zones/empirical seed transfer zones/50-mile radius/100-mile radius/within the county/within a regional, multi-county area/within the state/other/don’t know Q10a Is your organization subject to a policy that recommends or requires the use of native plants? yes/no/don’t know Q10b Does the policy guiding your organization’s native plant use specifically recommend or require the use of locally-adapted (local ecotype, local provenance, etc.) plant materials? yes/no/don’t know Q11 Please select all that apply. Typically, how does your organization choose the native plant species it uses? commercial availability/lists of locally native plants/reference site information/outside contractors, designers, consultants/other/don’t know Q12 Typically, how far in advance is your organization able to forecast plant material needs? less than 1 year/1–2 years/2–3 years/3 years or longer/don’t know Q13 How do you expect your organization’s demand for native plant materials to change over the next 10 years? increase/decrease/stay the same/don’t know Q14 Which statement best describes your organization’s general preference when using native plants and/or seeds? local ecotype/species/cultivars/no preference/other/don’t know Q15 How useful would your organization find an online listing of commercially-available, ecoregional native plant materials? not useful/slightly useful/moderately useful/quite useful/extremely useful/don’t know Q16 Would your organization be willing to share plant use/plant needs information if it could result in increased commercial availability of locally-adapted native plants and seeds? yes/no/maybe/don’t know/additional comments: __________ Q17 Can you estimate the total amount of plant materials your organization uses in a typical year? yes/after checking our records/no we don’t track this/don’t know Q18a Which choice best describes your general experience with sourcing native plants? The species my organization wants to use are available as plants: never/rarely/sometimes/often/mostly, with a few exceptions/always/don’t know Q18b Which choice best describes your general experience with sourcing native plants? The species my organization wants to use are available as plants in our preferred ecotype: never/rarely/sometimes/often/mostly, with a few exceptions/always/don’t know Q19a Which choice best describes your general experience with sourcing native seeds? The species my organization wants to use are available as seeds: never/rarely/sometimes/often/mostly, with a few exceptions/always/don’t know Q19b Which choice best describes your general experience with sourcing native seeds? The species my organization wants to use are available as seeds in our preferred ecotype: never/rarely/sometimes/often/mostly, with a few exceptions/always/don’t know Q20 Please tell us about any recurring issues you have related to the availability of native plant materials and/or local ecotypes. Q21 In no particular order, please list your organization’s top 5 commercial sources of native seeds. Q22 If there were a cost difference, how much more would your organization be willing to pay for genetically appropriate, local provenance plants and seeds? no more/up to 50% more/up to 100% more/greater than 100% more/other: _____ /don’t know Q23a How limiting are these factors to your organization’s use of local ecotype native plants? cost, lack of commercial availability, lack of seed transfer guidelines, lack of project lead time, lack of policy encouraging or requiring use, lack of organizational preference, lack of organizational awareness of benefits. not limiting/somewhat limiting/limiting/very limiting Q23b Same as Q23a but with respect to seeds Q24 How adequate are the conferences and/or other continuing education opportunities offered through your professional associations with respect to the use of local ecotype native plants and seeds? slider bar ranging from 1 (unhappy) to 5 (happy) Q25 Please select all that apply. What native plant protocols has your organization developed? germination/plant establishment/plant production/seed collection/seed cleaning/seed storage/seed transfer/other: _____ /none of the above/don’t know Q26a Please select all that apply. Does your organization engage in any of the following production-related activities? wild seed collection/native plant production/native seed production/none of the above/comments: _____ Q26b Please select all that apply. Where does your organization collect wild seeds? on our organization’s lands/on private lands not owned by our organization/on public lands not owned by our organization/other: _____ /don’t know Q26c Please select all that apply. Which of the following resources does your organization have? propagation facilities/greenhouses/land for production/irrigation/seed collecting or harvesting machines/seed cleaning equipment/seed storage facilities/other: _____ /none of the above/don’t know Q27 Please select all that apply. Which resources would be helpful to your organization? ecoregional species lists/species fact sheets/propagation protocols/seeding rates/planting densities/plant establishment protocols/seed transfer guidelines/reference site information/information on plant communities and associated species/template garden designs/landscape maintenance tips/other: _____ / none of the above Q28 Please select all that apply. How would you describe your role, in relation to your organization’s use of native plant materials? I select native plant species for projects./ I make purchasing decisions related to our procurement of native plants and/or native seeds./ other: ____ / none of the above Q28 This survey is being disseminated to individuals who work with native plants across all sectors (public, private, non-profit) and at all scales. As such, the questions may not adequately capture your organization’s experiences and concerns in regard to native plant availability and use. Please use this space to share anything else with us that we haven’t asked you about: ______
