Understory Initiative

Partnership Building and Applied Restoration: In 2024, RNPP (Rogue Native Plant Partnership) completed follow-up monitoring on 16 post-fire huckleberry plots in partnership with the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest and the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians. We also hosted five farm tours highlighting local seed growers and their techniques, and partnered with seven local and regional organizations to host seed collecting and cleaning events that brought together partners, volunteers, and community members. UNPP (Umpqua Native Plant Partnership) made significant progress in strengthening native plant supply efforts across the region. To focus efforts and resources, we narrowed our species priorities from over 200 to fewer than 50, emphasizing plants with the highest ecological and cultural value. We also launched the native plant reservation system to streamline plant access for restoration practitioners. Community engagement remained a core part of our work, with hands-on restoration events alongside local producers, landowners, and volunteers, and participation in events like Earth Day, the Glide Wildflower Show, and a successful community seed swap. In collaboration with the Oregon Native Seed Collective, we published the Oregon Native Seed Strategy, a comprehensive guide to native seed procurement, preservation, and production for restoration and conservation efforts across the state. We also produced and distributed 30 pounds of Open Meadow Pollinator Mix and 28 pounds of Shade Tolerant Pollinator Mix to private landowners, supporting pollinator habitat on working lands. A new population of sand dune phacelia (Phacelia argentea), a federally threatened plant native to the southern Oregon coast, was successfully established. Lastly in partnership with Tualatin SWCD, seeds from 3 regions were collected in support of the Climate-Adapted Plant Materials (CAPM) project. This source seed will provide valuable insights on drought resilience and climate adaptation for native plants in the future.

Ecological Research and Monitoring: In 2024, staff and volunteers with the Rare Plant Monitoring Network contributed a total of 566 hours monitoring 32 species of rare plants. We also completed monitoring of the native McFarlanes four oclock in Idaho and providing recommendations to improve monitoring efforts and recovery actions for the species. On Oregons south coast, staff mapped invasive species and evaluated their impact on pollinating insects in coastal prairies and dunes. Additionally, the team designed innovative monitoring protocols that will inform and guide restoration efforts on federal lands for years to come, including at the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge and South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve.