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Northwest Reforestation: choosing plant materials suited to current and future climates

trees in an indoor tree nursery
Walter. H. Horning Tree Seed Orchard outside Portland, Oregon.  Credit: Matt Christenson, Bureau of Land Management

In May 2023, the Northwest Climate Hub hosted a workshop: “Northwest Reforestation: choosing plant materials suited to current and future climates.”

The workshop promoted shared learning around selection of plant materials for climate-informed reforestation. It brought together technology transfer specialists and practitioners from across ownerships in California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington to discuss lessons learned from established assisted migration plantings and how to promote implementation of assisted migration plantings in the future. The workshop focused on assisted population migration (movement of seed sources within a species range), but assisted range expansion and species migration (movement of seed sources just outside and well beyond the current species range) was also discussed. In attendance were representatives from tribes, several state and federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private landowners. 

Key takeaways

*A summary of the conference, including discussions, lessons learned, follow-ups, and unique ideas from the workshop can be found here.
  • Assisted migration is a promising tool for maintaining forest resilience as the climate warms and fire activity increases.
  • There are major barriers to obtaining seed from different seed zones, ownerships, and countries. These include lack of centralized repositories, limited seed availability, and regulatory barriers.
  • Increased public education, information sharing around existing assisted migration trials, and information on where to obtain seed could help to empower landowners to implement assisted migration.
  • To promote assisted migration, collaboration is needed across organizations. This will help create standardized best practices and facilitate seed exchange.
  • Some progress has been made in overcoming barriers to assisted migration, but these are long-term commitments that require sustained financial and political support.

Climate change and assisted migration resources

Presentations