The State Botanical Garden of Georgia recently received $1.6 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to create a native seed network for restoration projects in Georgia.
The Georgia Native Seed Network is a collaborative partnership between the botanical garden, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Southeastern Grasslands Institute and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to produce locally adapted seeds and other plant materials across much of the Southeast.
When a natural disaster occurs, such as a wildfire, replanting the vegetation may be necessary. When the State Botanical Garden and partners try to tackle restoration projects in Georgia, they can’t purchase the native plant material they need. The grant for the Georgia Native Seed Network will address this need by supporting new positions at the State Botanical Garden for conservation experts to collect seeds from the different ecoregions of Georgia.
The collected seeds will be propagated and farmed for critical restoration projects. Native plants provide green infrastructure that is critical for emergency preparedness, food security and to mitigate the effects of natural disasters such as large storms, floods and fire. The plants grown will also be put into trade for commercial producers to grow and sell these native plants as well.
In 2023, the State Botanical Garden, with the help of volunteers and partners, collected seeds of 40 native species across three different ecoregions in Georgia. Of the species collected, 24 are already in production for restoration projects.