RAMPS Newsletter - Spring 2025
National Seed Strategy Progress Report for 2022 and 2023
In this edition: Conferences, National Seed Strategy Progress Report for 2022 and 2023, and Publications.
Opening Letter
Hello RAMPS community,
In this newsletter, we are excited to highlight the release of the National Seed Strategy Progress Report for 2022 and 2023. The National Seed Strategy provides a roadmap for increasing the supply of genetically appropriate native seed for restoration in the US, and this new report highlights the critical role that USGS plays in providing research, scientific expertise, and tools to support native seed development and use. Our spring newsletter also includes updates on conference presentations and recently released publications. As always, please reach out to discuss any questions or potential collaboration opportunities for research and restoration in the Southwest.
Laura Shriver
RAMPS Coordinator
[email protected]
RAMPS on the Road
Conferences provide an important opportunity for RAMPS to share relevant research updates with land managers and scientists while connecting with existing and new collaborations. So far in 2025, the RAMPS Team gave invited presentations on RestoreNet at the following symposia:
- Rangeland restoration amidst short-term variability and long-term change at the 2025 Society for Range Management Conference in Spokane, Washington
- Land & Water: Separate realms, shared insights for seed-based restoration across terrestrial and aquatic systems at the 2025 National Native Seed Conference in Tucson, Arizona
The Society for Range Management and National Native Seed Conferences were attended by a broad coalition of land managers, restoration practitioners, researchers and private landowners and ranchers. At the Native Seed Conference, RAMPS coordinator Laura Shriver also presented a talk, “Bridging theory and practice to improve native seed selection for restoration” with initial results from a literature review drawing comparisons between seed selection insights from the scientific literature and federal agency guidance for seed selection in practice. Laura also presented a poster summarizing information from the National Seed Strategy Progress Report for 2022 and 2023.
Project Highlights
National Seed Strategy Progress Report
RAMPS Coordinator, Laura Shriver, joined Plant Conservation Alliance leaders to write the National Seed Strategy Progress Report for 2022 and 2023. The report showcases the contributions of federal agencies and over 300 partners across the country to advance the National Seed Strategy, a pragmatic approach to meet the growing demand for native plant seed for restoration. In addition to summarizing data and project highlights, the report includes agency summaries outlining accomplishments, including from the USGS. The USGS provides essential research and scientific expertise to support the development and use of native seed for restoration, and the RAMPS program has led reporting efforts for all three National Seed Strategy Progress Reports.
To learn more, you can read the new Progress Report here and the accompanying USGS Science Snippet, “Securing the Nation’s Need for Native Seed” here, and visit the National Seed Strategy BLM webpage, which includes the Strategy, Business Plan, and past progress reports.
REPORT CITATION: Plant Conservation Alliance (PCA). 2025. National seed Strategy Progress Report for 2022 and 2023. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, 64 pp.
Figure: Accomplishments in Native Seed Development. Submissions reflect advancements made at every stage of the Native Seed Development Process, including: Collection, where native seeds are harvested from wild populations, cleaned, tested, and banked for both long-term conservation and immediate seed increase; Evaluation and development, which involves research on species traits such as germination, pollination, and seed transfer zones; Field establishment, where agricultural protocols are developed for growing seed; Production, in which seeds are increased through agricultural practices; Procurement, where seeds are tested and purchased; Storage, where increased seeds are preserved for future restoration and rehabilitation; and Restoration, where native seeds are used to restore native plant communities. Figure from the National seed Strategy Progress Report for 2022 and 2023 (PCA 2025).
Picture: Covers of the Plant Conservation Alliance National Seed Strategy Progress Report for 2022 and 2023 (left) and the National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration (right).
Research Updates – New Publications
Natural resource management under drought and wildfire
In this study, RAMPS Ecologist, Seth Munson, and others developed a conceptual framework that links the scale and severity of drought and wildfire associated ecosystem impacts with management interventions. A Northern Arizona University researcher conducted surveys and interviews of natural resource managers on the Colorado Plateau to gain insight into their perceptions of the scale of drought and wildfire impacts, ecosystem responses to drought and wildfire, relationships between the scale and severity of impacts and associated natural resource responses, and perceived barriers to implementing management actions. Results of the collaboration indicated that resource managers experienced drought more frequently than wildfire, and perceived intensifying impacts to ecosystems resulting from both stressors. Results also indicated that resource managers recognized strategies to address the widespread impacts of drought and wildfire on ecosystems, but many adaptation-specific actions remained unclear or presented barriers for implementation. To overcome these barriers, the authors suggest improving effective science communication, refining information tailored to meet adaptation goals at management-relevant scales, and providing opportunities for adaptive management that can proactively address intensification of drought and wildfire.
CITATION: Munson, S.M., Vaughn, A.L., Petersen, B., Bradford, J.B. and Duniway, M.C., 2024. Natural resource management confronts the growing scale and severity of ecosystem responses to drought and wildfire. Ecology and Society, 29(4). https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-15517-290417
How does trait variability affect plant performance?
In this study, researchers from the USGS, BLM, and Northern Arizona University collaborated to explore the effects of variation of plant characteristics, or traits, of different populations of the same plant species on plant performance. They examined whether variation of traits influenced plant performance both at field sites, where seeds were originally collected, and in a New Mexico common garden. They found that variation of traits within the same species at field sites did not predict variability in the common garden and that greater trait variability did not consistently yield better plant performance, suggesting that trait variability among wild populations of the same species may have limited utility for predicting plant performance responses in restoration settings.
CITATION: Samuel, E.M., Mitchell, R.M., Winkler, D.E., Davidson, Z.M., Lencioni, S. and Massatti, R., 2024. Intraspecific trait variability in wild plant populations predicts neither variability nor performance in a common garden. Restoration Ecology, p.e14322. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.14322
Declining ecological resilience and invasion resistance projected in the sagebrush region
This study, led by USGS scientists and partners from other federal agencies, used an ecohydrological model to quantify the impacts of projected future climate on ecological resilience and invasion resistance in the sagebrush region of the US. Results suggest widespread decreases of resilience and resistance, especially in sagebrush ecosystems, highlighting a growing challenge for regional natural resource managers. The authors suggest that spatially explicit datasets can provide information to improve long-term risk assessments, prioritizations, and climate adaptation efforts.
CITATION: Schlaepfer, D.R., Chambers, J.C., Urza, A.K., Hanberry, B.B., Brown, J.L., Board, D.I., Campbell, S.B., Clause, K.J., Crist, M.R. and Bradford, J.B., 2025. Declining ecological resilience and invasion resistance under climate change in the sagebrush region, United States. Ecological Applications, 35(1), p.e3065. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.3065
RAMPS is a program of the USGS Southwest Biological Science Center located in Flagstaff, AZ
RAMPS engages stakeholders within the U.S. Department of the Interior, other federal and state agencies, Tribal governments, and on private lands to provide guidance and support for effective restoration strategies across the southwestern U.S. The RAMPS network consists of over 500 individuals representing 50+ agencies, organizations, and universities working together to increase land productivity and reduce threats posed by environmental hazards.