Northeast Seed Network News & Updates | |
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Building a Strong Foundation Together
Our collaborative efforts are flourishing! Together, we’re building a strong foundation to ensure that the right seeds and plants are in the right place at the right time. By enhancing communication, coordination, and collaboration, we're developing a community of practice to improve the accessibility of source-identified, genetically diverse seed and plant material. This is essential for maintaining biodiversity and health in landscapes across the Northeast and Northern Mid-Atlantic States.
Since our spring network-wide check-in meeting, we've been busy reinforcing and building new connections, promoting our efforts, and launching new committees to address collective needs. By working together, we're growing a sustainable partnership and connecting resources through consensus and collaboration.
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Swamp rose mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos): Credit: Russ Cohen. | |
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New Hire Boosts the Northeast Seed Network!
Native Plant Trust has contracted Matthew Garrambone of Beechwood Environmental, LLC. to assist with the development of the Northeast Seed Network, as well as the coordination of their Nasami Seed Hub. Matthew has extensive experience in seed based ecological restoration, seed production, regional seed partnership development, and seed supply chain management. As part of his contract with NPT he will work with the Ecological Health Network to jointly facilitate committee and subcommittee meetings, build relationships with current and future network partners, conduct site visits to consult on network seed increase operations, coordinate educational workshops and trainings for network partners, contribute to the development of standards and best practices, and maintain a directory of partner resources.
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Adventive Plant Lecture
In May, Local59 Sub-Regional hub hosted a roundtable conversation about adventive plants (growing beyond their historic native range) and how we consider them in the context of native flora. Michael Piantedosi, Native Plant Trust Director of Conservation, introduced the topic and opened the floor for participants to share perspectives and ask questions. It was an enlightening discussion, fostering a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics of plant migration and adaptation.
Watch the recording here.
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A New Sub-Regional Hub Takes Root
In early June, the Ecological Health Network visited Maine and New Brunswick to meet with key partners and discuss launching a new sub-regional hub for the Northeast Seed Network. Political boundaries between Maine and Canada are irrelevant when restoring shared ecosystems amid climate change.
We extend a big thank you to Melissa Cullina, Director of Plant Science & Collections at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, for hosting us and helping to initiate this conversation with Andrea Berry, Executive Director of the Wild Seed Project, and Melissa Spearing, Seed Biologist at Canada’s National Tree Seed Centre. We also met with Tate Bushell from the Mount Desert Island Land and Garden Preserve and the team from Acadia National Park. After these in-person meetings, we continued discussions virtually with the Riparian Lands Native Seed Partnership in Vermont.
Everyone agreed to form a Steering Committee to set the scope and priorities for this sub-regional hub, aiming to build supply chain capacity for restorative activities in the Northern Appalachian Acadia Wabanaki Ecoregion, a vital transition zone between temperate woodlands and boreal forests.
If you’re interested in learning more and getting involved, email Eve Allen at eve@ehnglobal.org.
|  | Eve Allen, EHN Program Director of the US Northeast Bioregion, Katherine Brewer, Curator of Living Collections (CMBG), Andrea Berry, Executive Director of the Wild Seed Project, Melissa Cullina, Director of Plant Science and Collections (CMBG), Sefra Alexandra, EHN Northeast Bioregional Education Coordinator, James Aronson, EHN President, and Melissa Spearing, Seed Biologist at Canada’s National Tree Seed Centre. | | |
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Spring Field Day at The Hickories
In mid-June, Dina Brewster, co-founder of the Ecotype Project and Northeast Seed Network Steering Committee member, hosted a Spring Field Day at The Hickories, in Ridgefield, CT. Dina’s farm is home to the farmer-led Northeast Seed Collective, a seed company offering ecotypic seed for nearly fifty species for the Eco59 and Eco84 ecoregions. Twenty-five network members attended and toured the hub of the Northeast Seed Collective and Ecotype project headquarters, where they learned more about the establishment and maintenance of the beautiful seed increase plots, and participated in seed-cleaning demos.
It was an excellent gathering with representation from many of the sub-regional groups throughout the Northeast including ReSeeding Rhode Island and Local 59. As a growing community of practice, it was a wonderful day to share stories of best practices and lessons learned. We hope you will join us at our next field day.
|  | Attendees of the first in-person event of the Northeast Seed Network in June 2024 at The Hickories in Ridgefield, CT- home of the Northeast Seed Collective and Ecotype Project. | Head seed farmer Jean Linville at the Hickories discussing the seed increase plot of sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale), which produces restoration seed to be sold through the farmer-led Northeast Seed Collective. | | | |
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American Public Garden Association Annual Meeting
In late June, members from the Northeast Seed Network and Restorative Landscape Coalition hosted a session at the American Public Garden Association’s Annual Meeting in Boston, entitled Fostering Regional Collaboration Among Public Gardens to Address Native Seed and Plant Material Needs in Restoration and Horticulture.
The session covered native seed and plant material supply bottlenecks and provided an overview of the Northeast Seed Network and the Restorative Landscape Coalition. We also showcased examples of public gardens in the US Northeast and Mid-Atlantic working to strengthen seed and plant supply chains and engaged in a lively group discussion on the role public gardens can play in supporting ecological restoration and horticulture.
A big thanks to our presenters and moderators:
● Richard Olsen, Director, US National Arboretum
● Michael Piantedosi, Director of Conservation, Native Plant Trust
● Uli Lorimer, Director of Horticulture, Native Plant Trust
● Élan Alford, Plant Conservation Scientist, Mt. Cuba Center
● Geordie Elkins, Executive Director, Highstead Foundation
● Christopher Dunn, Executive Director, Cornell Botanic Gardens
|  | APGA Session Presenters and Participants: Melissa Cullina, Director of Plant Science and Collections, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens; James Aronson, President, Ecological Health Network; Michael Piantedosi, Director of Conservation, Native Plant Trust; Christopher Dunn, Executive Director, Cornell Botanic Gardens; Uli Lorimer, Director of Horticulture, Native Plant Trust; Jeff Downing, Director, and Élan Alford, Plant Conservation Scientist, Mt. Cuba Center; and Richard Olsen, Director, U.S. National Arboretum. | | |
Newly Launched Committees | |
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This spring, we also launched two new committees to help build the capacity of the Northeast Seed Network. Thank you to all who joined these first exploratory meetings!
Scientific Research Committee
In alignment with Recommendations 6.1 & 6.2 of the Native Seed Assessment by the National Academy of Sciences (2023), this committee seeks to address both basic and applied research questions.
Research topics include:
● Seed sourcing and seed zone delineation
● Seed sourcing and climate change
● Species diversity and composition
● Technical knowledge and production techniques
● Maintenance of genetic integrity and quality
● Testing, storage, and deployment of native seeds
Protocols and Standards Committee
The objective of this committee is to develop and set standards, protocols, and agreed upon best practices for all aspects of the native plant seed supply chain. Communal standards and protocols will underpin the technical and educational materials provided by the Northeast Seed Network.
Key topics include:
● Seed collection and cleaning
● Seed production and distribution
● Seed licensing
● Seed production best practices
If you are interested in joining these committees, please email eve@ehnglobal.org.
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Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa). Credit: Russ Cohen. | |
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Fall Check-in Meeting
October 9th, 2024
Please save the date for our next network-wide check-in meeting on October 9th, 2024 from 9-11 am ET. We will highlight the work of our network members, provide updates from our committees, and share information about the next steps for this collaborative partnership.
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Eastern Native Grasslands Symposium
Sep 9-12, 2024 | Philadelphia, PA
This event, sponsored by Pinelands Nursery, promises to be an enlightening exploration of the rich biodiversity, ecological significance, and cultural heritage of native grasslands in the Eastern region. Eve Allen, Program Director at the Ecological Health Network, will present about the Northeast Seed Network. There will also be field trips to Mt. Cuba Center and Pinelands Nursery.
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Land Trust Alliance Rally
September 25-28 | Providence, RI
The Land Trust Alliance is proud to host its 37th year of Rally: the National Land Conservation Conference, an annual gathering of nearly 2,000 passionate land conservation practitioners from around the world who are dedicated to conserving cherished places in our communities. Geordie Elkins, Highstead Foundation, Dina Brewster, Northeast Seed Collective, Mary Ellen Lemay, Aspetuck Land Trust, Sefra Alexandra, Ecotype Project, and Eve Allen, Ecological Health Network are organizing a workshop to showcase examples and generate a discussion about how land trusts how they can participate in and benefit from the development of regional ecotypic seed networks. The problem the Northeast Seed Network has set out to solve is that there is almost no ecotypic seed commercially available in the Northeast, and the demand is unpredictable. Land Trusts are uniquely positioned to help solve this problem and benefit from its solution.
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Society for Ecological Restoration North America Conference
October 28 – November 1, 2024 | Vancouver, BC, Canada
The SER North American 2024 Conference will be an interactive forum on ecological restoration across ecosystems and disciplines. Sefra and Dina will present the Ecotype Project’s model for training small-scale farmers to grow native seed crops, which led to the Northeast Seed Collective and the newly launched Network Map. The Ecological Health Network will present about the growth of the Northeast Seed Network and the Restorative Landscape Coalition to build capacity for bioregional restoration initiatives.
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National Native Seed Conference
February 24-27, 2025 | Tucson, AZ
This conference supports the America the Beautiful Executive Order, National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration, and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Members from the Northeast Seed Network are proposing two symposia to highlight opportunities and lessons learned from building regional small-scale seed networks.
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Northeast Seed Network in the News! | |
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The 75th edition of the Tree Seed Working Group’s News Bulletin features an article on the Northeast Seed Network’s Network Map by Sefra Alexandra and Dina Brewster. This bulletin highlights various contributions, including research findings, policy updates, meeting summaries, and seed-related news. Read the article here: TSWG News Bulletin 75.
Native Plant Trust’s CEO Tim Johnson sat down with Jennifer Jewel from the Cultivating Place podcast. The wide-ranging interview speaks to Tim's personal journeys as well as his visions for NPT, including the further development of the Northeast Seed Network. Listen to the episode here.
Have updates or news for the Northeast Seed Network? Contact Eve Allen at eve@ehnglobal.org.
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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 and being featured on our Network Map.
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For more information, please contact:
Matthew Garrambone, seednetwork@nativeplanttrust.org
Eve Allen, eve@ehnglobal.org
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.
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