Considerations for Establishing Native Grasses from Seed for Restoration, Revegetation, and Erosion Control in Western Washington and Western Oregon

Native grasses are increasingly popular and valuable tools for revegetation, erosion control, and wildlife habitat improvement. Many have unique features and benefits that make them advantageous over certain exotic and introduced grasses. In the field of ecological restoration, they are a critical and required component of the target plant community, ecosystem, or natural habitat. A number of native grasses are readily found in the wild, abundant seed producers, vigorous, and easy to establish. Unfortunately, others are slow to establish, low yielding, or have become scarce as a result of land use conversions, noxious weed invasions, or habitat fragmentation. However, they are no less important. This group of native grasses may also lack the ability to compete with invasive, introduced grasses bred for vigor, pest resistance, and high seed yield, let alone the abundance of exotic broadleaf weeds found throughout the landscape. As a result, special care, attention, and patience may be required for such factors as site preparation, weed control, seed source/quality, and initial stand management compared to the less stringent demands of more vigorous and broadly adapted introduced pasture and turf grasses. Unlike perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) or tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea), a successful stand of a slower growing native grass may take two to four years to achieve. Furthermore, risks and costs can be considerably higher. Planning and implementation should begin several years in advance of planting, not just weed control and site preparation practices, but the steps necessary to secure an adequate supply of native grass seed from "local", adapted sources.