Assessment of Restoration Successes Failures and Market Tools for Improved Outcomes

Land managers have communicated clear plans to expand their use of locally adapted native plant materials for rehabilitation and restoration (National Seed Strategy, 2015). A fundamental issue that emerged during the development of this Strategy was whether or not expanded production of new and existing native plant materials is economically sustainable. Thus, a basic need exists to better understand the economics of native seed production. We will conduct an initial market analysis of the native seed market, with an explicit focus on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands on the Colorado Plateau ecoregion. Specifically we will evaluate the cost effectiveness of alternative seed procurement strategies for meeting ecosystem service-based restoration targets.