April 2025

The Northeast Seed Network: An Alliance of Regional Seed Partnerships

Our mission is to enhance communication, coordination, and collaboration to ensure that the right seeds and plants are in the right place at the right time. By building capacity and creating a community of practice, we aim to improve the accessibility of genetically diverse, source-identified seeds that are vital for maintaining biodiversity and healthy landscapes across the Northeast and Northern Mid-Atlantic States.

Together, we're growing a sustainable, collaborative network to advance ecological restoration, regenerative agriculture, and ecological landscaping in our region. 

One of spring’s earliest flowering shrubs in our region is leatherwood (Dirca palustris). Credit: Uli Lorimer, Native Plant Trust⁠.

Partnerships and Hubs in the Northeast Seed Network Regional Alliance 

The Northeast Seed Network is a regional alliance of hubs and partnerships working collectively to improve the accessibility of ecologically appropriate, source-identified seeds and plants essential for sustaining biodiversity and promoting healthy and climate-resilient landscapes across the US Northeastern region. Are you interested in joining or starting a new partnership or hub? Please contact Eve Allen (eve@ehnglobal.org). 

Northeast Seed Network at Northeast Natural History Conference 

April 4-6, 2025, Springfield, MA

Members of the Northeast Seed Network will present at the region’s largest forum on applied field biology and natural history.

The session, "Native Seed Amplification in the Northeast," moderated by Ethan Skuches, features:

• Northeast Seed Network Updates – Uli Lorimer
• Higher Education & Native Plant Amplification: A Vassar College Case Study – Ethan Skuches
• Growing Native Plants for Restoration – Linda Rohleder, Wild Woods Restoration Project

Yellow trout lily (Erythronium americanum). Credit: Uli Lorimer, Native Plant Trust⁠.

Spring Network-Wide Check-In Meeting

April 29, 2025, 9-10:00 am ET

Please save the date for our upcoming virtual check-in meeting! We’ll be sharing exciting updates on the progress our alliance of regional seed partnerships has made over the fall and winter months, highlighting key accomplishments from our members, providing committee updates, and outlining the next steps for this collaborative initiative. We look forward to your participation!

Northeast Seed Network Charter and Operational Guidelines

Since late summer 2024, the Northeast Seed Network’s Steering Committee has been actively developing a charter and operational guidelines to shape the network’s purpose, structure, and key functions. These foundational efforts will help guide our collective work in strengthening native seed supply chains across the region.

We look forward to sharing our updates about this process at the spring quarterly meeting on April 29, 2025 and hearing your valuable feedback.

Looking for leadership in the Northeast Seed Network

As we continue to grow, the Northeast Seed Network is seeking additional Steering Committee members, Advisory Council members, and Working Group participants from the hubs and partnerships across our shared geographic footprint. These roles are essential in shaping the network’s direction, strengthening regional collaboration, and advancing our mission.

More information:

Invitation to join the Steering Committee

Invitation to join Advisory Council, Committees, and Working Groups

We welcome individuals with expertise in native seed farming, ecological restoration, conservation and land management, nursery production, research, policy, communications, and related fields. If you're interested in contributing to this important work, we encourage you to apply!

Indigenous Outreach and Partnership Initiative 

The Ecological Health Network is pleased to introduce Catherine Webb, our Indigenous Outreach and Engagement Liaison. Catherine will focus her efforts on building collaborative relationships between the Northeast Seed Network, Tribal Nations, and Indigenous communities throughout the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and Atlantic Canada.

If you are a member of a Tribal Nation or know of Indigenous partners who may be interested in the network’s activities, please reach out to Lauren Shew (lshew@ehnglobal.org).

Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris). Credit: Uli Lorimer, Native Plant Trust⁠.

Fall and Winter Activities

Native Plant Trust Nasami Seed Hub Field Day

On November 8th, 2024, Native Plant Trust hosted a workshop at its Nasami Seed Hub, located in Whately, MA. Over 30 participants were treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the operation, including stops at its seed increase plots, seed processing facility, and climate-controlled storage unit. Along the way, visitors received an overview of Native Plant Trusts Restoration Accelerator program, which is working to improve seed supply in the Northeast states. The workshop also included a discussion of protocols used to produce native species, with an emphasis on seed sourcing, seed harvesting, and seed processing techniques. The material was based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under sub-award number PROJECT # FNE22-009. 

Restorative Landscape Coalition Gathers at Mt. Cuba Center

In early November 2024, leaders, staff, and allies from botanic gardens, arboreta, seed banks, and allied organizations across the US Northeast and Mid-Atlantic gathered at the Mt.Cuba Center in Hockessin, Delaware. Together, we discussed how we could harness our educational capacity, expertise across the plant sciences, and facilities to support the Northeast Seed Network’s members and maximize the use of ecologically appropriate, diverse seed supplies and plant materials for a wide range of ecological restoration and ecological landscaping activities. 

Our proposed Focus Areas:

• Assisting NSN members with collecting and banking seeds of ecologically valuable species
• Increasing species diversity in production for restoration efforts
• Developing a multi-state regional seed strategy
• Educating and engaging native seed and plant material users
• Influencing change through advocacy and recommendations
• Supporting research, development, and technology transfer

Veenn Diagram of how the Northeast Seed Network and Restorative Landscape Coalition are distinct but also overlap and intersect:

Stay tuned for updates on our progress over the course of the year! If you are interested in learning more or getting involved, please contact Eve Allen (eve@ehnglobal.org).

Thank you to everyone who joined: Élan Alford, Ellen Lake, and Jeff Downing, Mt. Cuba Center; Melissa Cullina, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens; Bill Cullina Morris Arboretum & Gardens; Charlotte Lorick, Oak Spring Garden Foundation; Fran Chismar, Pinelands Nursery; Sefra Alexandra, The Ecotype Project; Eve Allen and James Aronson, Ecological Health Network; Richard Olsen, U.S. National Arboretum; Geordie Elkins, Highstead Foundation; Lea Johnson, Longwood Gardens; Todd Bittner, Cornell Botanic Gardens; Ryan Klopf, Virginia Natural Heritage Program; Mandy Katz Bartram’s Garden. 

Local 59 Annual In-Person Meeting

This year's Local 59 Plant Network's Annual Gathering hosted at Hilltop Hanover Farm & Environmental Center on March 6th, 2025, was a day filled with energy, collaboration, and inspiration! 

The day-long event included ten speakers from across the region presenting a range of topics pertinent to landscape restoration and efforts to increase the supply of native seeds. Fiona Watt, Director of the New York State Department of Conservation's Divisions of Lands and Forests, kicked off the day by highlighting the efforts New York State is making to develop a statewide seed strategy. Additional speakers included Jessica Schuler, who presented on training future generations for restoration work; Dr. Allyson Jackson, who showcased her work on integrating monitoring into restoration projects; and Rebecca Ferry, who updated the audience on local restoration projects. Presentations can be accessed here. Also coming soon, Local 59 Plant Network will launch a listserv, which will facilitate the flow of information and resources across the network. More to come on that soon.  

Standards and Protocols Working Group 

Tackling Standards and Protocols is a big task! The Working Group has focused on Wild Seed Collections first and has met several times to discuss how best to communicate the importance of high standards regarding wild seed collections. This step is crucial for the success of future seed increase activities. The next item for the working group to tackle is seed-sourcing strategies with the aim of guiding the network when considering how and from where to target wild seed collections. We are actively looking for participants for this new working group; please contact Uli Lorimer (ulorimer@ntiveplanttrust.org) if you are interested in getting involved. 

Scientific Research Committee

The Scientific Research Committee is embarking on a new chapter with co-chairs John Campanelli and Erin Snyder at the helm. This committee, which meets quarterly, plays a pivotal role in promoting and facilitating scientific research within the Northeast Seed Network. Its core goals include addressing key research topics such as seed sourcing, seed zones, climate change adaptation, species diversity, and technical knowledge gaps in seed production and management. The committee aims to facilitate knowledge sharing by identifying and disseminating relevant scientific literature and maintaining a directory of ongoing research projects. To support researchers, both internal and external, the committee provides guidance and resources. If you are interested in joining, please contact Lauren Shew (lshew@ehnglobal.org) for more information.

Northeast Seed Network at the National Native Seed Conference

In late February, members of the Northeast Seed Network traveled to Tucson for the 2025 National Native Seed Conference—Seeds for Change: Seeding the Future Together.

In addition to seeing friends old and new, we also hosted a two-part a symposium titled A Network of Networks: Insights and Innovations from the Northeast, highlighting the progress of our regional alliance of seed partnerships and hubs across the U.S. Northeast and Mid-Atlantic since our formal launch at the 2023 National Native Seed Conference in Alexandria, VA. 

To close out the conference, Eve Allen joined the plenary panel organized by the Chicago Botanic Garden, Learning from Collaborations to Increase Native Seed Availability for Restoration.

This gathering was an opportunity to reflect on how far the Northeast Seed Network has come. Since launching at the 2023 National Native Seed Conference, we've made incredible strides—thanks to our dedicated members, partners, and supporters. Your commitment continues to grow this work.

For more information about our speakers, presentations, and to see more photos from the conference check out our Instagram post here.

Members and friends of the Northeast Seed Network Meet up at the National Native Seed Conference, February 2025.

Brooke Fleischman, Intervale.

Lea Johnson, Longwood Gardens.

Explore the Ecotype Project’s Network Map's overlays and discover who is working on key steps of the seed supply chain in your ecoregion. We have nearly 80 Network members represented on the map!

If you want to be listed on the map, please complete our Network Intake Survey. You can also update your listing with a photo or a species list. We will do our best to keep this map updated quarterly.

Do you have exciting updates, news, or images you'd like to share with the Northeast Seed Network community? We're always looking to feature stories about seed collection, propagation efforts, restoration projects, and events in our newsletter. Feel free to reach out to us northeastseednetwork@gmail.com with your contributions or to discuss how we can highlight your work in upcoming editions.

Thank You!

Thank you for being a crucial part of the Northeast Seed Network's success. Together, we are sowing the seeds for more biodiverse, climate-resilient, and healthy landscapes across our shared ecoregions. If you haven’t yet done so, please fill out our Network Intake Survey as a first step in joining the Northeast Seed Network.

For more information, please contact us at northeastseednetwork@gmail.com. 

For updates about the Northeast Seed Network, follow us at @ecohealthglobal and @nativeplanttrust on Instagram, @EcoHealthNet on X, @Nativeplanttrust and @EcoHealthNet on Facebook, and Ecological Health Network and Native Plant Trust on LinkedIn for updates.

Connect with us!