Revegetation with Native Plants

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For information on how to apply, please see the attached 'Outreach of Interest Template Instructions' document. This Outreach of Interest (OOI) functions as an outreach mechanism to cultivate relationships and connect with potential partners. This OOI is intended to solicit responses to explore future projects meeting the needs and interests of potential partners through partnership agreements within legislative authority with USDA Forest Service. USDA Forest Service is interested in potential partnerships to help collect, map, develop, monitor, and restore native plants, where needed. USDA Forest Service is also interested in engaging and educating community members, youth, veterans, tribes, students, underserved communities, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs. Both partners would benefit through the sharing of knowledge, input to revegetation programs and priorities on national forest lands, and hands on knowledge identifying, handling, and processing native plant materials, and/or monitoring and documenting native plant revegetation success. Involvement in this work could also benefit others by encouraging long-term relationships with the land, highlighting the importance of native plants in our environment. Your submission signals an opportunity for USDA Forest Service to explore with you your ideas/projects/programs and federal funding opportunities. USDA Forest Service is committed to fostering a strong, collaborative partnership that benefits native plant communities and restoration projects using locally adapted native plant seeds and propagules. These collaborations are vital for understanding revegetation and restoration needs, establishing shared priorities, expanding capacity, and ensuring the growth of resilient and healthy forests with native plants. By working together, all stakeholders can maximize the impact of native plant revegetation and restoration efforts on national forests. The native plants needed to restore land impacted by wildfire, drought, and invasive plants, are in short supply. USDA Forest Service is reaching out to partners interested in working together to develop native plant materials and to monitor their success in revegetation and restoration projects. Units are identifying lists of priority plant species best suited for native plant materials development, considering resource needs, future demand, and past propagation and establishment success. Once identified as a priority, native plant materials, primarily seed sources from wildland populations, are identified and mapped, and seed is collected when the seed is at peak viability. Native seed is then, cleaned and tested, and stored, to eventually be combined and increased in production fields. The genetically diverse plant materials can then be used to meet not only the needs of the national forests, but also to create a sustained market for native plant materials across all lands. USDA Forest Service is interested in partnerships to help collect, map, develop, monitor, and restore native plants, where needed. USDA Forest Service is also interested in engaging and educating community members, youth, veterans, tribes, students, underserved communities, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs. Both partners would benefit through the sharing of knowledge, input to revegetation programs and priorities on national forest lands, and hands on knowledge identifying, handling, and processing native plant materials, and/or monitoring and documenting native plant revegetation success. Involvement in this work could also benefit others by encouraging long-term relationships with the land, highlighting the importance of native plants in our environment. The current Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation (BIL) has dedicated funding to the development and improvement of revegetation programs including the development of reserves of native herbaceous, shrub, and select tree species for future use. This funding provides the financial opportunity to develop partnerships for revegetation and native plant material programs on every forest across the country, and through several executive orders, encourages outreach to tribes and Justice 40 communities.