Resources

Table of Contents

    Online Restoration Trainings - FREE

    Many online courses and videos on ecological restoration and related topics are offered by universities and organizations. Here are a few general courses available at no cost:

    Arid and Semi-Arid Lands Seed Technology and Restoration Course (Society for Ecological Restoration, accessed 17 March 2026)

    Foundations of Restoration Ecology Course (Society for Ecological Restoration, accessed 17 March 2026)

    MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) on Ecological Restoration (Society for Ecological Restoration, accessed 17 March 2026)

    Native Seeds: Supplying Restoration (Film, International Network for Seed-based Restoration, accessed 17 March 2026)

    Seed Planning, Sourcing, and Procurement

    Planning

    Restoration Standards, Guidelines, and Principles (Society for Ecological Restoration, accessed 17 March 2026)

    Roadside Revegetation (Armstrong et al. 2017. See: Planning steps - for revegetation 6)

    Seed Planning, Sourcing, and Procurement (Erickson and Halford 2020)

    Seed Sourcing

    Generalized Provisional Seed Zones for Native Plants (Bower et al. 2014)

    Native Plant Seed Mapping Toolkit (Doherty and Andrews 2021)

    Plant Hardiness Zone Map (USDA, accessed 30 March 2026)

    Seed Locator Tool (USDA Conservation Reserve Program, accessed 2 April 2026)

    Seed Sourcing (Utah State University, accessed 30 March 2026)

    Seed Zone WebMap (USDA FS PNWRS, accessed 17 March 2026)

    Seed Sourcing for Climate Change

    Climate-Adapted Seed Tool (accessed 17 March 2026)

    Climate Smart Restoration Tool (accessed 17 March 2026)

    Seedlot Selection Tool (accessed 17 March 2026)

    Procurement/Vendor Lists for Seeds and Seedlings

    Find Seed (IAE, CBI, and USDA Farm Service Agency, accessed 17 March 2026)

    Native Plant, Seed and Services Directory (Xerces Society, accessed 17 March 2026)

    National Reforestation & Restoration Directory (USDA RNGR, accessed 17 March 2026)

    Floras and Plant Distributions

    Flora North America (FNA Editorial Committee, accessed 17 March 2026)

    Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation (Bison) (USDI USGS 2020).

    Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria (accessed 17 March 2026)

    Regional Network of North American Herbaria (SEINet Portal Network) (accessed 17 March 2026)

    Seed Certification

    The process for certifying wildland collected seed begins prior to collection. Contact your Association of Official Seed Certifying Agency (AOSCA) or Crop Improvement Association to find and/or ask for assistance with required paperwork.

    The AOSCA native plant connection (Young et al. 2003)

    Certification Process for Wildland Seed Collections (Taylor and Wilhelm 2019)

    How to be a seed connoisseur (Utah Crop Improvement Association 2015)

    Seed Collection Protocols, Techniques, and Yields

    Bureau of Land Management Technical Protocol for the Collection, Study, and Conservation of Seeds from Native Plant Species for Seeds of Success (USDI BLM 2023)

    Collection and Production of Native Seeds for Ecological Restoration (Pedrini et al. 2020)

    ENSCONET Seed Collecting Manual for Wild Species. European Native Seed Conservation Network. (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK & Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain 2009)

    Native Wetland Plant Seed Collection and Cleaning Guide for the Intermountain West (Robinson et al. 2024)

    Seed Yields - USFS Bend Seed Extractory (Garvin 2018)

    Seed Cleaning

    Ensuring Seed Quality in Ecological Restoration: Native Seed Cleaning and Testing (Frischie et al. 2020)

    Native Wetland Plant Seed Collection and Cleaning Guide for the Intermountain West (Robinson et al. 2024)

    Processing Seeds of California Native Plants (Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden 2009)

    Screen Sizes, Valve Settings, Other Equipment Settings, and Conversions. See Appendix 1C-4C (p. 102-106) in Tallgrass Prairie Native Seed Production Manual

    UNR Native Seed Bank (accessed 17 March 2026)

    Seed Storage and Seedlot Management

    Collecting, Processing, and Storing Seeds (Luna and Wilkinson 2009)

    Principles and Practices of Seed Storage(Justice and Bass 1978)

    Seedlot Management (Kew - Millennium Seed Bank Partnership, MSBP, accessed 31 March 2026)

    Seed Storage: Maintaining Seed Viability and Vigor for Restoration Use (De Vitis et al. 2020)

    Species-Specific Seed, Seeding, and Planting Guides

    General References

    Collecting and Cleaning Seed of Intermountain Wildland Shrubs, Forbs, and Grasses (Stevens et al. 2025)

    Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) (USDA FS, accessed 31 March 2026)

    Guidebook to the Seeds of Native and Non-native Grasses, Forbs, and Shrubs of the Great Basin(Lambert 2005)

    Native Seed Production Manual for the Pacific Northwest(Bartow n.d.)

    Plant Fact Sheets and Plant Guides (USDA NRCS, various dates)

    Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources Database (accessed 17 March 2026)

    Restoring Western Ranges and Wildlands, vol. 1.(Monsen et al. 2004)

    Restoring Western Ranges and Wildlands, vol. 2. (Monsen et al. 2004)

    Restoring Western Ranges and Wildlands, vol. 3.(Monsen et al. 2004)

    Seed Manuals (Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources [RNGR] Database, accessed 17 Marc 2026)

    Succession Management: Building Resilience with Native "Weeds" (USDA NRCS, accessed 17 March 2026)

    Succession Management for Rangeland Seedings- Idaho Plant Materials Tech Note 79 (Tilley et al. 2022)

    Tallgrass Prairie Center Native Seed Production Manual(Houseal 2007)

    The Woody Plant Seed Manual(Bonner and Karrfalt 2008)

    Western Forbs: Biology, Ecology, and Use in Restoration(Gucker and Shaw 2021)

    Wetland Species, Seeds, and Restoration Guides (Utah State University, accessed 31 March 2026)

    Plants for Pollinators

    Creation and Management of Utah Butterfly Habitat (Tilley et al. 2019)

    Keep America Beautiful (Vrydaghs 2025, accessed 1 April 2026)

    HOSTS - Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants (Robinson et al. 2025)

    Native Plant, Seed and Services Directory (Xerces Society, accessed 1 April 2026)

    NRCS Documents and Resources for Pollinator Conservation and Enhancements (USDA NRCS)

    Plants for Pollinators in the Intermountain West (Ogle et al. 2019)

    Pollinator-friendly Native Plant Lists (Xerces Society, accessed 1 April 2026)

    Pollinator Partnership (accessed 1 April 2026)

    Top Plants for Your Pollinator Garden (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, accessed 1 April 2026)

    Ethnobotany

    Native American Ethnobotany Database (accessed 2 April 2026)

    Seed Germination, Testing, and Data

    Germination Ecology, Requirements, Evaluation, and Standards

    Dormancy and Germination: Making Every Seed Count in Restoration (Kildisheva et al. 2020)

    Ensuring Seed Quality in Ecological Restoration: Native Seed Cleaning and Testing (Frischie et al. 2020)

    International Principles and Standards for Native Seeds in Ecological Restoration (Pedrini and Dixon 2020)

    Seed Enhancement: Getting Seeds Restoration-ready (Pedrini et al. 2020)

    Seed Viability Testing Guide for Common Wetland Plant Species (Robinson et al. 2024)

    Seed Testing Laboratories

    Association of Official Seed Analysts (includes lists of certified seed laboratories, accessed 17 March 2026)

    International Seed Testing Association (accessed 17 March 2026)

    Seed Data

    Note: Many seed manuals with species-specific information include germination requirements

    Seed Information Database (accessed 17 March 2026)

    AOSA Test Methods for Species without Rules (accessed 17 March 2026)

    Site Preparation and Seeding

    General References

    A Review of Techniques and Technologies for Improving Seedling Establishment(Tilley et al. 2018)

    EcoRestore Portal: Restore Arizona’s Native Plants. (University of Arizona Extension, accessed 1 April 2026)

    EcoRestore Utah Portal (Utah State University Extension, accessed 1 April 2026)

    Field Guide to Riparian, Restoration, and Upland and Arroyo Erosion for Rural and Natural Lands Owners, Managers, and Restoration Practitioners(Hare 2019)

    Native Seeds: Supplying Restoration(Film created by INSR 2023)

    Need to Seed? Ecological, Genetic, and Evolutionary Keys to Seed-based Wetland Restoration (Kettenring and Tarsa 2020)

    Restoration Resource Center Society for Ecological Restoration, accessed 1 April 2026)

    Restoration Techniques to Enhance Aquatic Plant Establishment and Project Scalability in Wetlands (Sinnott and Kettenring 2025)

    Restore the Shore: A Guide to Lakeshore Revegetation in the Great Basin (Braun et al. 2025)

    Revegetation Equipment Catalog(Larson 1980)

    RNGR Publications (Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources [RNGR], accessed 31 March 2026)

    Roadside Revegetation: An Integrated Approach to Establishing Native Plants and Pollinator Habitat(Armstrong et al. 2017)

    Seed Use in the Field: Delivering Seeds for Restoration Success (Shaw et al. 2020)

    Shrub-Steppe and Grassland Restoration Manual for the Columbia River Basin (Benson et al. 2011)

    US Drought Monitor (National Drought Mitigation Center, accessed 30 March 2026)

    USDA_NRCS Soil Series Survey (USDA NRCS, accessed 1 April 2026)

    Seed Mixes

    Ecoregional Revegetation Application (ERA) Database (US Department of Transportation, accessed 17 March 2026)

    International Principles and Standards for Native Seeds in Ecological Restoration (Pedrini and Dixon 2020)

    Reading Seed Packaging Labels and Calculating Seed Mixtures(Hoag et al. 2001)

    Seed Mix Calculators (The Understory Initiative via the Institute for Applied Ecology, accessed 31 March 2026)

    Seed Planning, Sourcing, and Procurement (Erickson and Halford 2020)

    Seeding Rates

    Installing Plant Materials, Chapter 5.4 of Roadside Revegetation (Armstrong et al. 2017)

    Seeding Rate Converter (Washington State University, accessed 31 March 2026)

    Tallgrass Prairie Center Native Seed Production Manual (Houseal 2007, Seed weights, seeding depths, seeding rates, harvesting, and equipment settings, appendix 1A-B and 2B - p. 90-93; 98-101)

    Drill Calibration

    Calibration of Truax No-Till Grain Drill (Model FLX 1188RD) (Leif and Grigar n.d., USDA NRCS, accessed 1 April 2026)

    Calibrating a Seed Drill for Cover Crop Mixtures (Pickett and Tilley 2017)

    Rangeland drill calibration (Taliga 2011)

    Conversions

    Conversion Calculator (Calculator.net, accessed 1 April 2026)

    Nursery Plant Production and Planting

    A Guide to Starting and Operating a Nursery for Native and Traditional Plants(Wilkinson et al. 2014)

    A Nursery Guide for the Production of Bareroot Hardwood Seedlings(McNabb 2019)

    Nursery Manual for Native Plants: A Guide for Tribal Nurseries(Dumroese et al. 2009)

    Nursery Manuals(Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources [RNGR], accessed 31 March 2026)

    Raising Native Plants in Nurseries: Basic Concepts(Dumroese et al. 2012)

    Roadside Revegetation (Armstrong et al. 2017, see Nursery Seed Production, Chapter 5.3.4)

    Seed Strategies

    An Assessment of Native Seed Needs and the Capacity for their Supply: Final Report 2023 (National Academy of Sciences 2023)

    US National Seed Strategy (Plant Conservation Alliance 2015)

    California Native Seed Strategy (California Native Plant Society, accessed 1 April 2026)

    Nevada Seed Strategy (Nevada Native Seed Partnership 2020)

    Northern Great Plains Native Seed Strategy (Northern Great Plains Native Seed Partnership, accessed 1 April 2026)

    Oregon Native Seed Strategy (Oregon Native Seed Collective 2025)

    Wyoming 2025 Seed Strategy (accessed 1 April 2026)

    Native Seed Programs and Partnerships

    Institute for Applied Ecology (accessed 31 March 2026)

    Directory of Seed Partnerships and Resources (Institute for Applied Ecology, accessed 31 March 2026)

    Tallgrass Prairie Center (University of Northern Iowa, accessed 31 March 2026)