Plants play an important role in the
success of conservation. They offer a
natural solution for stabilizing soil,
improving water quality, and providing
food for livestock and wildlife. Plants are
also an essential element of many Farm
Bill conservation programs funded by the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
and administered by the department’s
Natural Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS).
Difficult environmental conditions—
eroding streambanks, land impacted by
wildfires, mineland reclamation sites, arid
rangelands—require finding the right
plants for the job. A highly specialized
group of scientists within the USDA
NRCS Plant Materials Program studies
and selects those plants
The Plant Materials Program is a nationwide network of 27 Plant
Materials Centers and 17 Plant Materials Specialists, based in
ecologically distinct service areas.¿ Together, these centers and specialists
seek out plants and state-of-the-art technology to restore critical habitats,
mitigate environmental concerns, and sustain healthy natural resources.
Plant Materials Centers evaluate plants for specific conservation traits,
select top performers, and make these materials available to the public as
conservation plant releases. They also develop innovative ways for land
managers to use and manage a variety of conservation plants. Specialists
relay information about new plant releases and offer on-the-ground
assistance with conservation plantings.
“The Plant Materials Program and its
cooperators have contributed the bulk
of the material and technology now
used in ecosystem restoration and are
our foundation for meeting
conservation challenges of the
future.”
From D.T. Booth and T.A. Jones,
“Plants for ecological restoration: a
foundation and philosophy for the
future” in Native Plants Journal,
Spring 2001
‘Ruby’ redosier dogwood was released to stabilize
soil on streambanks. With its attractive flowers
and red stems, ‘Ruby’ is also useful for landscape
pla