COS 114-5 - Improving wetland restoration in the Intermountain West: An assessment of wetland manager and native plant vendor practices and barriers

Tuesday, August 8, 2023

2:45 PM – 3:00 PM PDT

Location: E145

Presenting Author(s)

MB

Mark W. Brunson, PhD

Department of Environment and Society, Utah State University
Logan, Utah, United States

Co-Author(s)

ET

Emily Tarsa

Department of Natural Sciences, College of Coastal Georgia, United States

Coauthor(s)

AH

Annie L. Henry

Department of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University
Denver, CO, United States
RR

Rae Robinson

Department of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University, United States
KS

Kate Sinnott

Department of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University, United States
AE

Adrienne Ernst

Department of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University, United States
KK

Karin Kettenring

Department of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University, United States

Abstract: Although wetlands provide unparalleled ecosystem services, such as nutrient cycling and carbon storage, more than 70% of these ecosystems have been degraded by human activities. Restoration of diverse wetland plant communities via revegetation is critical to restore, enhance, and maintain the provisioning of these ecosystem services. While best practices for native revegetation have advanced in recent years, managers often face substantial environmental and logistical barriers that inhibit effective revegetation programs. This is particularly true in wetlands, which have received less attention than other ecosystems regarding revegetation research. Further, knowledge of best practices for revegetation does not ensure that the vast quantities of native plant materials (seeds, plugs, etc.) will be available. Using paired surveys, we sought to understand the common practices and barriers faced by wetland managers and native plant vendors. We focused surveys on the Intermountain West of the U.S., where aquatic resources are naturally scarce, and the need for restoration is urgent. We found that managers faced many environmental challenges in their revegetation with drought/climate change, invasive plants, and timing of water delivery being particularly problematic. Budget limitations, personnel shortages, and bureaucracy also presented challenges. The wetland manager survey indicated that most managers sought to increase native wetland plant communities on their property through plugs, plants, seeds, and mats. However, we found a very limited number of vendors in the Intermountain West provided wetland plant materials. Those who did provide wetland plant materials sold abundant seeds, plants, and plugs but rarely mats. Managers were most interested in reintroducing native riparian species (in general, and specifically willows and cottonwoods), as well as emergent and wet meadow species. Vendors primarily sold riparian species, with much fewer aquatic, emergent, or meadow species. Managers preferred formal written resources to guide future revegetation while vendors generally relied on verbal communication for providing guidance. Taken together, these findings indicated some interesting synergies between managers and vendors (e.g., with respect to riparian species) as well as some opportunities for better alignment (e.g., offering more sod mats, increasing supply of emergent and meadow species, or providing more formal written revegetation guidance) between managers and vendors. Ultimately, the results of our survey will be used to improve both the user (manager) and supplier (vendor) side of native wetland plant revegetation to improve the quality and outcomes of revegetation in the Intermountain West of the U.S.