Start Date
3-2-2021 9:50 AM
End Date
3-2-2021 10:00 AM
Abstract
Urban forest fragments are frequently managed with an aim to reduce invasive species and promote native species diversity. However, natural regeneration of native forest species, including herbaceous understory species that are especially sensitive to site conditions, is often lacking in these environments. Herbaceous understory species are important for nutrient dynamics in forests and they contain higher biodiversity than other forest strata. Many restoration projects implemented throughout the Willamette Valley in Oregon focus primarily on the establishment of the dominant woody species typical of a Pacific Northwest riparian forest. The lack of focus on the herbaceous understory species can be attributed to the relatively high costs and scarcity of plant material as well as limitations in technical information. The Understory Species Increase Project (USIP) is a collaborative effort started by City of Portland’s Reveg Program, Clean Water Services, and Metro that aims to fill these knowledge and resource gaps by researching, developing, and amplifying diverse herbaceous understory species. The current project stage examines which species readily establish from seed, using in-situ trial plots throughout the Portland Metro Area, half of which were seeded with a mix of native herbaceous understory species. Data from year 1-4 post-seeding have revealed significantly greater richness and abundance of herbaceous understory species in seeded plots compared to controls, but results vary greatly by site and species. Here, we investigate which herbaceous understory species have the greatest overall success and which environmental conditions have the strongest effect on the germination, establishment, and growth of target species.
Subjects
Habitat restoration, Plant ecology
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/35489
Understory Species Increase Project: Evaluating Establishment From Seed
Urban forest fragments are frequently managed with an aim to reduce invasive species and promote native species diversity. However, natural regeneration of native forest species, including herbaceous understory species that are especially sensitive to site conditions, is often lacking in these environments. Herbaceous understory species are important for nutrient dynamics in forests and they contain higher biodiversity than other forest strata. Many restoration projects implemented throughout the Willamette Valley in Oregon focus primarily on the establishment of the dominant woody species typical of a Pacific Northwest riparian forest. The lack of focus on the herbaceous understory species can be attributed to the relatively high costs and scarcity of plant material as well as limitations in technical information. The Understory Species Increase Project (USIP) is a collaborative effort started by City of Portland’s Reveg Program, Clean Water Services, and Metro that aims to fill these knowledge and resource gaps by researching, developing, and amplifying diverse herbaceous understory species. The current project stage examines which species readily establish from seed, using in-situ trial plots throughout the Portland Metro Area, half of which were seeded with a mix of native herbaceous understory species. Data from year 1-4 post-seeding have revealed significantly greater richness and abundance of herbaceous understory species in seeded plots compared to controls, but results vary greatly by site and species. Here, we investigate which herbaceous understory species have the greatest overall success and which environmental conditions have the strongest effect on the germination, establishment, and growth of target species.
