Comb

ined Annual Report

2009 - 2010

TheAlaskaPlantMaterialsCenter(PMC)isasectionoftheDivisionofAgriculturewithin theDepartmentofNaturalResources.EstablishedunderAS03.22,TheAlaskaPlantMaterials Center’swork advances appliedplant research for northern latitudesthroughsevenmajorprograms:

Revegetation,1.AlaskaEthnobotanyResearchProject/TeachingGarden,2.RuralVillageSeedProductionProject,3.FoundationSeedProgram,4.CommercialDevelopmentofNativeSeed&Plants,5.PotatoDiseaseControlProgram,6.InvasivePlantsandAgriculturalPestManagement.7.

Eachoftheseprogramswillbeaddressedindetailwithinthisreport.

OfteninlateJulyorearlyAugust,thePlantMaterialsCenterhostsanopenhouse.ThePMCstaffisavailabletoanswerquestionsabouttheprojectsandgivetoursofthefacilities.Whileongoingconstructionhaslimitedthenumberofopenhouseeventsinrecentyears,attendanceisgenerallystrong.NoticeofupcomingopenhouseswillbepostedonthePlantMaterialsCenter’swebsiteatleast1monthpriortotheevent.

MuchofthePlantMaterialsCenter’sfundinghascomefromnon-statesources.TheUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture(USDA)wasamajorfundingsourceinre-centyears.ThePMCisalsoarecpientoffundsfromtheAmericanRecoveryandRein-vestmentActof2009(ARRA),dedicatedtotheRuralVillageSeedProductionProject.

Additionally,thecenterbringsinlesseramountsofrevenuethroughcooperativeprojectswithotheragencies,theprivatesector,andthroughthesaleofplantmaterials.All fundsderivedfromoutsidesourcescanbeusedfordirectoperationsof thePlantMaterialsCenter.

Alaska Plant Materials Center5310S.BodenburgSpurRd.Palmer,AK99645

Phone:(907)745-4469Fax:(907)745-1568Web:http://plants.alaska.gov/Email:dnr-pmc@alaska.gov

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Alaska Plant Materials Center

-Staff-PMC Manager

Potato Disease ControlWilliamL.Campbell,Agronomist

RevegetationPhilK.Czapla, Agronomist

Foundation Seed PeggyHunt, Agronomist

Soil ScienceCaseyDinkel,Agronomist

Seed Lab SupervisorLyubomirMahlev,Agronomist

Rural Seed DevelopmentSohbanSajja,Agronomist

AlexanderAult, Natural Resource Specialist

Seed Cleaning / ConditioningBrianneBlackburn,Natural Resource Specialist

Invasive Species Management

GinoGraziano,Natural Resource Specialist

AndrewWeaver, Natural Resource Specialist

Farm Foreman

KathiVanZant, General Foreman Publications

BrennanVeithLow,Publications Specialist

AdministrationRonaldC.Cotterman,Administrative Assistant

Table of Contents

DirectorsLetter...........................................................03SeedProduction...........................................................05FoundationSeedProgram...........................................................14Revegetation...........................................................16RuralVillageSeedProject...........................................................21CertifiedSeedLab...........................................................23SeedCleaning&Conditioning...........................................................24SoilTesting&Analysis...........................................................26PotatoDiseaseControl...........................................................29EthnobotanyTeachingGarden...........................................................31InvasivePlants&AgriculturalPests...........................................................33OtherInterestingThings...........................................................36StaffPresentations&Publications...........................................................37

StoneyJ.Wright, Agronomist 2009 - 2010

Combined Annual Report

The Directory of Alaska Native Plant Sources is offered as a service to growers, and is available in print and online, at http://plants.alaska.gov/native/

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WhileearlycultivardevelopmentinAlaskawascenteredattheUniversityofAlas-ka’sAgriculturalExperimentStation,itistheAlaskaPlantMaterialsCenter(PMC)thatisresponsibleforseeingthesereleasesintoproduction.ThePMCmaintainscontinualcontactwithgrowersacrossAlaska,suggestingnativeplantspecieswheneverpossible.Inaddition,thePMCinitiatedaprogramtodevelopaccessionsandcultivarsofnativeplantsin1979.Sincethattime,5cultivarsand32namedgermplasmreleaseshaveorigi-natedatthePMC.

NativeplantspeciesarealreadyadaptedtotheextremeclimateofAlaska,andaremostlikelytodowellundercultivation.Thereisasteadydemandforseedstockforrevegetationandreclamationpurposes. Nativeplantspeciesarerequiredtosupportpublicinfrastructureprojects,suchasroadsandairports,aswellasprivateindustry,in-cludingexplorationactivitiesfortheminingandpetrochemicalsectors.

Commercial Development of Native Plants

Directory of Alaska Native Plant Sources

The PMCmaintains a comprehen-sivedirectoryof all in-stateproducersofNative Alaskan plants. This reference in-cludesgrowersoftreesandshrubs,grassandwildflowerseedproducers,andsup-pliersofferingrevegetationresourcesandconsultations.In2010,theonlineDirec-tory of Alaska Native Plant Sources wasredesigned to facilitateeasier interactionbetweengrowersandthePMC.Seedandplantproducersarenowabletoelectroni-callysubmittheirinformationforinclusioninthedirectory.Thedirectoryiscurrentlyinthe6thedition;the7theditionwillbepublishedinthespringof2011.

Most growers and producers arecentered in themainagricultural regionsof thestate; theDeltaarea in thenorth,and the Matanuska & Susitna valleys tothe south.With the launch of the RuralVillageSeedProductionProject,thenum-berofnativeplantproducersinthestateisexpectedto increase.Moredetailsaboutthis program are presented later in thisdocument.

Commercial Development of Native Plants

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Seaside arrowgrass (Triglochin maritima) in the lath house

TheAlaskaPlantMaterialsCenteriscontinuallyinvolvedinpropagationandtest-ingofplantsthroughseedincreaseprograms.Thefollowingprojectsandprogramslistnewandon-goingeffortsincommercialdevelopmentofnativeplants.

Seed & Plant Increase ProgramWestchester Lagoon Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration

WorkingwithHDRInc.,PMCstaffassistedwiththepropagationandproductionofover1200Seasidearrowgrass (Plantago maritima)andSeasideplantain (Triglochin maritima)seedlings,foruseinanaquaticecosystemrevegetationprojectatAnchorage’sWestchesterLagoon.Thesespeciesaresalinetolerantwetlandplants,suitableforthetidalinundationexpectedregularlyexperiencedatthemouthofChesterCreek.

Priortoplanting,germinationtestswereconductedtodeterminetheviabilityoftheseed.SeedsofbothspecieswereplantedinthebeginningofApril.FastgerminationanduniformgrowthwasevidentwiththeSeasidearrowgrass.Seasideplantainseedsplantedinthegreenhouseshowedsignificantlylowergerminationratesthanseedsger-minatedinaspecialgerminationchamber,soarrowgrassseedsweregerminatedinger-minationchamberandthantransplantedinthegreenhouse.SeedlingswerereadyfortransplantbytheendofJuly,2009.

Seaside plantain, (Plantago maritima) seedlings in the lath house

photos: Lyubo MahLev

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PMC staff harvests Bering hairgrass (Deschampsia beringensis) for the C.N.F. seed increase program

Chugach National Forest Seed Increase Program

IncooperationwiththeU.S.ForestService(USFS),thePMCinitiatedaseedcollectionandincreaseprogramfortheChugachNationalForest.Theprogrambegan in2006,withthe intenttocreateenoughviableseedtosupportaplantingprogramwithintheChugachNationalForest(CNF).AfterplantmaterialfromtheCNFwasobtained,thefirstfieldplantingsbeganin2007.

Plugsof5differentwildcollectionswereoverwinteredinalathhouse,thenlatertransplantedinboxes.Boxedplantingsareeasiertomaintainandfacilitateharvestoftheseed.Harvestedseedwasplantedinfields3and4forfieldproduction.Thefinalharvestyieldedsignificantquantitiesofthefollowingspecies in2009:

Beringhairgrass,• Deschampsia beringensisBluejointreedgrass,• Calamagrostis canadensisBeachwildrye,• Leymus mollisMeadowbarley,• Hordeum brachyantherum Arcticwheatgrass,• Agropyron violaceumRedfescue,• Festuca rubraAlpinetimothy,• Phleum alpinumAlpinebluegrass,• Poa alpina

Spike Trisetum (Trisetum spicatum) seedlings, grown in raised planting beds

Bluejoint reedgrass (Calamagrostis canadensis) seed is harvested using a vacuum seed-stripper in this photo. The cleaned seed will be used to support revegetation efforts in the Chugach National

Forest.

photos: Lyubo MahLev

2010wasanunusuallywetgrowingseason.HarvestofplantedBeringhairgrassandBluejointreedgrassdidnotmeetexpectations.CultivationofcropsfortheCNFwillcontinueuntil2013.

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Seeds of Success Program

Inthefallof2009,thePMCreceived43seedlotsfromtheBureauofLandMan-agement(BLM).TheseedwascollectedfrommanydifferentareaswithinthestateofAlaska,includingtheChugachNationalForest(CNF),ChugachStatePark(CSP),theMu-nicipalityofAnchorage,thePalmerHayFlats,DenaliNationalPark(DNP),andotherBLMland.RawseedwasprocessedatthePMC(conditioned&cleaned)andseedpergramcountsweredetermined.Duetothesmallsizeoftheseedlots,allprocessingoccurred

usedtoremoveadditionalparticlesandcontaminantsofvarioussizes.

Totalweightofallspeciesaftercleaningwasapproximately1.5kgofpureseed.Cleanedseedwasstoredinalowtemperatureandlowhumidityenvironmenttoensurethelongestpossibleviability.

2009Processingyeildedover1.5millioncleanedseedsforthetheSeedsofSuc-cessprogram.Theprocessedspecieswereasfollows:

Siberianyarrow,Achillea sibirica Alpinesweetvetch,Hedyasrum alpinum

Northernbentgrass,Agrostis mertensii Commoncowparsnip,Heracleum maximum

Roughbentgrass,Agrostis scabra Meadowbarley,Hordeum brachyantherum

Thinleafalder,Alnus incana var. tenuifolia Marshpea,Lathyrus palustris

Tilesius’wormwood,Artemisia tilesii Nootkalupine,Lupinus nootkatensis

Americansloughgrass,Beckmannia syzigachne Seepmonkeyflower,Mimulus guttatus

Lyngbye’ssedge,Carex lyngbyei Fieldlocoweed,Oxytropis campestris

Carexmertensii,Mertens’sedge MarshgrassofParnassus,Parnassia palustris

Closedheadsedge, Carex norvegica ssp. Inferalpina

Norwegiancinquefoil, Potentilla norvegica ssp. Monspelliensis

attheSeedLaboratory.

Seedcleaningbeganwiththefleshyspecies thatneededspecializedcleaning.AkitchenblenderwasusedtoremovethefleshypartsofthefruitfromRedElderber-ry (Sambucus racemosa) and Arctic rose (Rosa acicularis).Remainingspecieswereplacedinaseeddrierboxwheretheyweredriedtoadesiredmoisturecontenttopre-ventdevelopmentofmold. Thecleaningfor these species continuedwith theuseofmoreelaborateequipment,suchasanelectricseedscarifier,aseedblower,andvarioussieves. Aseedscarifierwasusedtodetachtheseedfromtheflowerpartsandtopreparethemfortheseedblowerwhichremovesthelightportionofthein-ertmaterialoremptyseed. Sieveswere 1.5 million cleaned seeds - the product of the 2009 Seeds of Success program

photo: Lyubo MahLev

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TheBLMselectedthefollowingelevenspeciesforfurtherincreasein2010:

Siberianyarrow,• Achillea sibiricaNorthernbentgrass,• Agrostis mertensiiRoughbentgrass,• Agrostis scabraTilesius’wormwood,• Artemisia tilesiiMertens’sedge,• Carex mertensiiDwarffireweed,• Chamerion latifoliumAlpinesweetvetch,• Hedyasrum alpinumFieldlocoweed,• Oxytropis campestrisCanadianburnet,• Sanguisorba CanadensisMerckia,• Wilhelmsia physodes Alpinebluegrass,• Poa alpina

Fireweed,Chamerion angustifolium Alpinebluegrass,Poa alpina

Dwarffireweed,Chamerion latifolium Alpinetimothy,Phleum alpinum

Purplemarshlocks,Comarum palustre Littleyellowrattle,Rhinanthus minor

Articdaisy,Dendranthema arcticum Pricklyrose,Rosa acicularis

Drummond’smountain-avens, Dryas drummondii

Elderberry,Sambucus racemosa

Dahurianwillowherb,Epilobium palustre Canadianburnet,Sanguisorba canadensis

Bitterfleabane,Erigeron acris Beauvard’sspirea,Spiraea stevenii

Whitecottongrass,Eriophorum scheuchzeri Northernstarwort,Stellaria calycantha

Largeleafavena,Geum macropyllum Merckia,Wilhelmsia physodes

Artemesia tilesii grown in the greenhouse

Seedlings from the Chugach National Forest were transplanted into outdoor grow boxes during the summer of 2010

photo: Lyubo MahLev

photo: Lyubo MahLev

Forallspecies,plugsweregrowninthegreenhouseandthentransplantedintoproductionboxes.Plugsofthethreegrassspecies(P. alpina, A. scabra, and A. mertensii) weretransplantedinthefield.Therestofthespecieswereplantedinanoutdoorboxgarden,whichallowedforeasiermaintenance.

While inthegreenhouse,powderymildewandaphidsweredetectedonsomeplants.Pesticidesapplicationresolvedtheaphid issue. Plants were kept well ven-tilated and powdery mildew symptomsgradually disappeared. Later in the sea-son, when the plants were established,theyweremovedoutsideinthelathhousetoharden.

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2010 Aleutian Fern Propagation Trials In 2010, the Alaska PlantMaterials Center (PMC) begancultivationofAleutianShieldfern,Polystichum aleuticum,aspe-ciesnativetotheAleutians.ThisfernwasselectedbytheUSFishandWildlifeService (USFWS) for reviewunder theEndangeredSpeciesAct.TheAleutianSheildFernwaslistedasendangeredin1988,andthisstudywillbeusedtoascertainwhetherthatdes-ignationisstillaccurate.A‘NativeEndangeredSpeciesRecoveryPermit’wasobtainedbytheUSFWS,andsporeswerecollectedfromtheAlaskaMaritimeNationalWildlifeRefugeinSeptemberof2010.ThePMCwasaskedtoproducenurserystockofatleast1,000mature sporophytes plus geneticmaterial for storage ina germplasm repository. AleutianShield Fern frondswere col-lectedinSeptemberof2010fromAdakIslandbytheUSFWS,anddeliveredtothePMCforincrease.

The Aleutian Shield Fern’s natural growth habitat, as itsnameimplies,islimitedtoafewareasoftheAleutians.OnAdakandAttuIslands,thisferngrowsonnorthfacingrockoutcrops,alpinetalusslopes,rockgrottos,andmoistcrevicesatelevationsofaround2000 feet. Associatedplantcommunitiesaredwarfwillow-moss,dwarfwillow-sedge-moss,andsedge-anemone-ar-nica-moss.Thisfernisveryslowtogrow,takingabout13monthsfromsporetomaturesporophyte.

Manypropagationtechniqueshavebeentriedinthepast.Existing literaturewasstudiedbeforepropagationand increase

photo: Mike boyLan, usFWs

effortsbegan.Polystichum aleuticumsporesaredormantattemperaturesbelow8andabove20degreesCelsius. Thespeciesdoesnotrespondwelltotransplanting. Mostsporophytesgrowninartificialgrowthmediahavedied.Polystichum aleuticum sporeswilldiewhensubjectedtoboilingtemperatures,herbicides,orfungicides.Mossoralgaeinfestation,fungusgnatinfestation,ordesiccation/constantsaturationcanalsohindergermination.

Aleutian Shield Fern, Polystichum aleuticum

AleutianShield Ferngrowthexperiments show themostsuccessfulgerminationresultingfromsporessowninmoderatelyacidic,sandyloamsoil.ThePMChasarrivedatasporepropaga-tionprotocol,basedonpastresearchandcurrentexperience,andisconductingseveraltrialstofindthebestmethodtoachievethepopulationgoalof1,000matureplantspecimens.Differentsub-stratemixeswillbeusedifenoughsporesexist.FuturetrialswillinvolvethePMC’ssoilscientistinthedesignofsubstratesimilartothenaturalgrowingconditions.AsoflateDecember,prothalligrowthwasobservedonseveraloftheexperiments.EvaluationofPolystichum aleuticumwillcontinuein2011and2012.

The Aleutian Shield Fern grows on north facing, rocky slopes in the Aleutians

Commercial Development of Native Plants

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Mat-Su Riparian Revegetation & Seed Increase TheAlaskaPlantMaterialsCenter(PMC)beganworkin2010ontheMat-SuRipar-ianRevegetationProject.TheU.S.FishandWildlifeService(USFWS)isworkingonre-placingculvertsoncreeksintheMatanuskaandSusitnavalleys,withthegoalofimprov-ingsalmonhabitat.Narrowculverts,whichcanbeanobstacleforfish,willbereplacedwithwideculvertstofacilitateeasierfishpassage.ThePMCwillsupportthisfour-yearprojectbyprovidingnativeplantmaterialtorevegetatedisturbanceswhenculvertsarereplaced.

Inthesummerof2010,PMCstaffcollectedseedmaterialfromseverallocationsintheMatanuskaandSusitnavalleys.Oncecollected,seedwasplacedinaseeddrierboxtopreventthedevelopmentofmold.Theseedfromthesewildcollectionswascon-ditionedandcleaned,andwasundergoinggerminationtestsattheendof2010.

Seedofthefollowingspecieswascollected:

• Bluejointreedgrass,Calamagrostis Canadensis• LepidotaCristataFern,Dryopteris dilatata(spores)• Ladyfern,Athyrium filix-femina(spores)• Fireweed,Chamerion angustifolium• Nootkalupine,Lupinus nootkatensis• WildAlaskangeranium,Geranium erianthum • Mountainlarkspur,Delphinium glaucum• Westerncolumbine,Aquilegia formosa• Northernbluebell,Mertensia paniculata

Inthespringof2010,dormantwhipsoftwowillowspe-cies (Salix lasiandra, Salix alaxensis) and cottonwood (Populus balsamifera)wereharvested,thenstoredatappropriatetemper-Collection site for the Mat-Su riparian project

atureandhumidityuntilprocessingcouldbegin.Whipswerecuttoalengthof12-16inchesandrootedat15-25C.Whensuffi-cientrootshaddeveloped,thesecuttingswere transplanted into the greenhouse.The rooted cuttings were taken outsidefor hardening at the beginning of June.170 cuttingswere planted in an outdoorfenced area in late June. This plantingareawillbeasourceoffuturecuttings,en-suringsteadyavailabilityofthesespeciessuitableforstreambankrevegetation.

Additional specieswere requestedbytheFishandWildlifeService,andwerecollected in the fall of 2010. Merten’ssedge(Carex mertensii)andGoat’sbeard(Aruncus dioicus) are good seed produc-

Rooted willow cuttings, being hardened in ahead of planting

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Commercial Development of Native Plants

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ers,andwillbeeasytocollectandclean.DormantcuttingsofRedelderberry(Sambucus racemosa) andRedOsierdogwood(Cornus stolonifera) willbecollectedinlatewinter.

The box propogation garden at the Plant Materials Center saw significant expansion in 2010

A seed scarifier was used to de-tachtheseedfromtheflowerparts.Next,a seedblowerwasused to remove inertmaterialoremptyseed(thelightportion).Sieveswereusedtoremoveanyadditionalparticlesorcontaminants.

Raisedoutdoorplantingboxeswereinstalled to support the Mat-Su ripar-ianrevegetationproject.Theexistingboxgardenwas extended andmore plantingboxesinstalled.Newboxeswillaccommo-date2011seedincreases,usingseedthatwascollectedin2010.Plantplugswillbegrown in the greenhouse in the spring,and transplanted into the planting boxesinthesummerof2011.

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Harvested Calamogrostis canadensis contained numerous insects. The black oblong objects in the detailed image are

thrips.

Plant Material Collection

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Subarctic - Arctic Germplasm Collection Project WithfundingfromtheAgriculturalResearchServiceandNaturalResourcesCon-servationService,thePMCinitiatedcollectionsofplantmaterialfromacrosstheArctic.Specimenswerecollectedbetween2001and2005,andevaluatedthrough2010. Allofthecollectedaccessionswereturnedovertothenationalgermplasmcollection.Be-tween50and500seedsofeachviablecollectionwereretainedbythePMCforevalu-ationplanting.ThebestperformingaccessionswillbeconsolidatedwithmaterialfromotherArcticcollectionsin2011or2012foradvancedevaluation.

datebythePMC,andpartofafederallyfundedgermplasmcollectionproject,exceedinginitialgoalsbyatleastsixtypercent. Collectionconditionswerenearlyideal,whichinconcertwithoptimalweatherduringtheprecedingsummer,resultedinveryhighqualityaccessions.

Canada - Nunavut, Nunavik, Newfoundland and Labrador SeedcollectionintheHighArctic(Nunavut)andSub-Arctic(Nunavik,Newfoundland,andLabrador)regionsofCanadawasconductedin2004and2005,respectively.Thecollectioncon-sistedof424and451accessions,respectivelyincludingatotalof27species.

Materialcollected fromNunavut,Greenland,Spitzbergen,Norway, Iceland, theFaroeIslands,Nunavik/Labrador,andofcourseAlaska,putstheAlaskaPlantMaterialsCenterintheuniquepositionofhavingthelargestNordicorArcticGermplasmcollec-tionunderevaluationinNorthAmerica.Thehighestqualitymaterialswillbeput intoadvancedevaluationin2011or2012,solongasapesticideapplicationpermitcanbeobtainedfromtheAlaskaDEC. Alternativeweedcontrolmethodswillbeconsidered,butafailuretoobtainapermitwillmostlikelyresultinthecancellationoffurtherevalu-ations.

Iceland and Faroe Islands The PMC initiated a seed collection program on Iceland andtheFaroeIslandsin2001.The123accessionswerefirstplantedinthegreenhouse,withseedlingsfieldplantedatthePMCin2002.Between2003 and 2007, plantingswere evaluated threetimesper year,withseedfromthebestperformingaccessionsplacedintostorage.

Svalbard (Spitzbergen),Norway Atotalof212accessionsofseedfromSvalbardwereimportedto theU.S.underaNorwegianphytosanitarypermitandthegeneralUSDAimportpermit.ThisseedwasfieldplantedatthePMCin2003,withevaluationcontinuinguntil2008.

West and South Greenland Inthefallof2003,aseedcollectionoccurredinwestandsouthGreenland.Theseedcollectionprojectwasverysuccessful,resultingin403collectionsof31distinctspecies.Thiswasthelargestcollectionto

Collection area near TJØMUVIK, Faroe Islands

Collection area in South Greenland

photo: stoney Wright

photo: stoney Wright

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Foundation Seed ProgramPartofthePlantMaterialsCenter’smissionistomakeanappropriatesupplyofhigh-qualityseedavailabletogrowers,seedthatiswell-suitedtoAlaska’sclimateandsoilsthatwillproduceeconomicbenefitsforthegrowers.

ThefoundationseedprogramatthePMCaimstoprovidethehighestqualitylowgenerationseed(foundationclassseed)toproducersforcultivarseedproduction.Cer-tification is important to identify that plants have beenhandled in such away as tomeethighstandardsofpedigreeretention,varietalpurityandviability,andthatarefreeofweeds,diseases,andphysicaldamage. Thisprocessencouragestheproductionofhighqualityseedofsuperiorvarietiesforagriculturalinterestsandrevegetationneeds

Certified Seed tags; used to identify seed of known origin and quality

Foundation Seed Production

ThePMCharvestedover40differentforb,grass,andgraincropsinthe2009&2010seasons.In2009,thirty-fivespeciesofnativegrassesandtwenty-onespeciesof forbswere grownwith thirty-six spe-ciesharvested. In2010, thirty-six speciesofnativegrassesandtwenty-onespeciesofforbweregrown,withatotalharvestofthirty-sevenspecies.Grainvarietiesplant-edandharvestedin2009were‘Sunshine’Barley,‘Nip’Oats,‘Toral’Oats,and‘Vigal’Wheat.Threegrainvarietieswereplantedin2010,including‘Bebral’Rye-abiannualcropthatoverwinters.Thisvarietywillbeharvestedin2011.

The Seed Increase Pyramid illustrates the multi-phased seed increase process, whereby 3 pounds of breeder seed can be increased to a commercially usable quantity. Clean seed yields are based on an 80 lbs / acre. The planting rate is

based on 3 lbs / acre for seed production and 40 lbs / acre for reclamation purposes.

throughouttheStateofAlaska.

Certified Seed Classes

• BreederSeed:The seedorvegetativepropagatingmate-rialdirectly controlledby theoriginatingor sponsoringplantbreeder,institution,orfirmwhichsuppliesthesourcefortheinitialandrecurringincreaseoffoundationseed.

• FoundationSeed:Theseedthatistheprogenyofbreederseed.Productioniscarefullysupervised,soastomaintainspe-cificgeneticandphysicalpurity.

• RegisteredSeed:Registeredseedistheprogenyoffoundationseedandmustbehandledcarefullytomaintainsatisfactorygeneticandphysicalpurity.

• Certified Seed: Certified seed is the progeny of foundationor registered seed,whichhasthegeneticandphysicalpurityneededforcertification.

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Foundation Seed Program Anewfieldof‘Egan’Americansloughgrasswasestablishedin2009.In2010,newcropsof‘Nugget’Kentuckybluegrass,NinilchikNootkaalkalaigrass,CouncilArcticblue-grass, ‘Wainwright’Slenderwheatgrass,andAndrewBayLarge-glumebluegrasswerealsoestablished.

Inadditiontoourtraditionalharvestingequipment,thePMCnowhasaWinter-steigerCombinewhichwasusedthroughoutthe2009and2010productionseasons.Thisnewmachinebringssomeseedcleaningfunctionstothefield.Itprovedtobeef-fectivewithawiderangeofcropsincludinggrasses,grains,andforbspecies.Thever-satilityandfasterclean-outtime,comparedtoourlargertraditionalcombinemakestheWintersteigeravaluable toolat thePMC. Inadditiontousingcombines,cropswereharvestedusingaflail-vacuumorseedstriper,aswellasaseed/leafvacuum.Wealsohandharvestedsomesmallerlots.

Annual Seed Sale

In2009,onlyone seed salewasheld. Forty-four specieswereavailableforsaletoproducers.Twenty-twolotsof16spe-cieswerepurchased.In2010,twoseedsaleswereheld,inthespringandinthefall.Inthespring,eighty-fivelotswereofferedforsale.Inthefallseventy-onelotswereoffered.Thetotalnum-berofspeciesofferedfor2010was49.Aftertheseedsalewasover,atotaloffourteenlotsofelevenspeciesweresoldin2010.

The Wintersteiger combine in use at the PMC performs some basic condition-ing of harvested crops, reducing the time required for post-harvest cleaning

Foundation seed must meet strict standards for genetic purity and be free of contaminants

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Revegetation Projects ReclamationresearchinAlaskabeganinthe1970s,withtheconstructionoftheTrans-Alaska-Pipeline-System(TAPS).Sincethen,ideasaboutthescienceofrevegetationhavechanged.Appliedresearch,spurredbyinterestinmining,continuedoilandgasde-velopmentandregulationshaveaddressedthedefinitionof‘reclamation’,insomecasesprecludingthetheuseof‘traditional’plantmaterialsandplantingtechnology.ThePMChasassistedscoreofagenciesandprivatecompanies in reclamation,erosioncontrol,andrevegetationthrough2010.

TheAlaskaPlantMaterialsCenter(PMC)leadsAlaskainreclamation,erosioncon-trol,research,technologyandknowledgetransfer,andrevegetation.Researchprioritiesincludetheuseofdormantseedlingstoextendplantingseasons,cost-effectivemethodsofwillowplanting,andwetlandecosystemrestoration. Thisprogramhasgatheredatleast275plot-yearsofinformationfromsitesaroundthestate,anddeveloped11newcultivarsand33natural “SelectedClass”germplasms for release.ThePMCmaintainsthesecollections,aswellasthe9cultivarsdevelopedbytheUniversityofAlaskaFair-banks(UAF)andtheAgricultureResearchService(ARS),foruseinrevegetationandrec-lamation.

Revegetation is theprocessofcoveringbareground(usually rawmineralsoils)withperennialplants,anditisoneoftheprimaryactivitiesoftheAlaskaPlantMaterialsCenter(PMC).Byusingnativeplantmaterial,disturbedsitescanbebroughtbacktoaconditionascloseaspossibletowhatwastherebeforethedisturbance.Thisalsoensuresthattherearefewerinvasivespeciesthatwouldcompetewithnativevegetation.During2009and2010,thePMCmonitoredseveralpastrevegetationandrestorationprojects,andinitiatedanumberofprojectsaswell.

Kenai Boat Launch In the summerof 2010, PMC stafftravelled to the city of Kenai to assess arevegetation process that began in thesummerof2009,withaseedingandfertil-ization treatment. An expanse stretchingfromtheviewingdecktothewatersedgewas exhibiting very poor growth, due toheavy foot trafficandtidal inundation.Asseeding has occurred during the previoussummer, PMC staff applied fertilizer only,relyinguponnaturalreinvasionandexistingseedforplantestablishment.400lbsoffertilizerwasappliedtothesite,usinghand-operatedspreaderstoachieve uniform coverage. PMC staffmetwith vol-unteers from theKenaiWatershedPartnership, par-ticipantsinlocalsitemonitoring.100lbsofadditionalfertilizerwas leftwith thesevolunteers. Monitoringwillcontinueuntil2012,oruntilplantcoverhasbeenreestablished.

Fertilizer was applied up to the edge of existing vegetation, which will serve as a seed bank for natural re-invasion of the area. INSET: PMC staff spreads fertilizer with a hand-operated spreader

photos: stoney Wright

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Revegetation Projects

Eagle landfill site capped with topsoil, and ready for fertilizer and seeding. Depressions in the soil

create a micro-climate well suited for seed growth.

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Seeded grass performance: Summer, 2010

monitoringoftherevegetationoftheKanutigravelpit(materialsite65-9-031-2)locatedatMilepost105oftheDaltonHighway.Installationoftherevegetationmaterialsoccurredin2003.Thesitewascontouredtocreatelittoralwetlands,fedfromnaturalspringswith-inthepit.Topsoilfromanothersitewasspreadtoimprovethegrowingconditions.Seedandfertilizerapplicationswerealsoapartofthereclamationplan.Monitoringactivitiesoccurredduring2004-2007,andwillcontinueuntil2013.Informationgleanedfromthisprojectwillaidintheplanningandimplementationoffutureprojectsintheregion.

Asitevisitwasperformedin2010toevaluatetherevegetationeffortcompletedin2003.Two300feetlongtransectswerelain,andquantitativemeasurementsofspe-ciesdiversityandplantcoverweretaken.Observationsweretakenatonefootintervals,resultinginatotalof300datapointspertransect.Picturesweretakenatdesignatedpho-

topoints,asaqualitativemeasuresoftherevegetationperformance.Plantedspecieshave becomeestablished, and natural re-invasion of native non-seeded species isoccurring.All speciesappearedtobeper-formingwell.

Eagle Landfill In2010,PMCstaffrevegetateda1.3acresitethatwasonceusedasalandfillfortheCityofEagle.Thesitewascappedwithap-proximatelyfourfeetoffillmaterial,andtopsoilwasspreadtoim-provegrowingconditions.The‘track-walking’methodwasusedtocreateafavorableenvironmentforseedgerminationandgrowth.Revegetationtreatmentsincludedseedandfertilizerapplication,usinganATV-mountedseedspreader.Seedmaterialwasprovidedby thePMC,andwascomposedprimarilyof ‘Nortran’hairgrassand‘Arctared’fescue.SmallamountsofAchillea millefolium,Arte-mesia tilesii,andPotentilla bimundorumseedwereaddedtothemixturealso,foraestheticreasonsandtoincreasevariety.

Kanuti Pit

ThePMC, in cooperationwith theAlaskaDepartmentofTransportation(DOT&PF),hasoverseenthe implementationand

Bluejoint reedgrass (Calamagrostiscanadensis) at the Kanuti gravel pit

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Boy Scout Rock ThePlantMaterialsCenterwascontactedbyaScouttroopin the summerof2010, forassistancewitha revegetationproj-ect at Boy Scout Rock. This popular climbing destination alongtheSewardhighwayhadbeendamagedbyfrequentcampingandunauthorizedfirepits. Thescouttroopidentifiedthreesitesforrevegetation,totalingapproximately1400squarefeet.ThescoutsmetwithPMCstaffattheMcHughcreekstaterecreationalarea.

PMCstaffpreparedaseedmixtureofnativeplantspecies,consisting of 40% Deschampsia beringensis (Bering hairgrass),35%Redfescue(Festuca rubra),and5%ofeachofthefollowingspecies:

Bluejointreedgrass,• Calamagrostis canadensisWesternColumbine,• Aquilegia formosa,Tilesiuswormwood,• Artemesia tilesiiFieldlocoweed,• Oxytropis campestrisAlpinesweetvetch,• Hedysarum alpinum

Ricehullswereaddedtotheseedmixturetoensureuni-formdistribution,giventhesmallamountofseed.Undersupervi-sionfromPMCstaff,thescoutsscarifiedthegroundwherethefirepitshadbeen,dispersedseed,andspread8-32-16fertilizeroverthe revegetated areas. Seed and fertilizerwere dispersed usinghandoperatedseedspreaders.Monitoringofthesiteisongoing.

Seed and fertilizer were spread over three different sites at Boy Scout Rock

Revegetation Projects

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Boy Scouts used handheld seed spreaders to distribute the planting mixture

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Alaska Coastal Revegetation & Erosion Control Guide The Alaska Coastal RevegetationandErosionControlGuide isan informa-tionresourcecreatedtoassistprofession-als involved in construction or cleanupactivities in coastal areas of Alaska. TheauthorsareStoneyWrightandPhilCzaplaoftheAlaskaPlantMaterialsCenter.

This publication contains speciessuggestions, descriptions of vegetationcommunities,anddetailedcasestudiesforeachregionofAlaska,andfeaturesastep-by-step guide to planning a revegetationproject. Theguide includesplantprofilesand case studies that are color coded toeachregionofAlaska,creatingareferencethatiseasytonavigate.

AmajorfocusoftheAlaskaCoastalRevegetationandErosionControlGuide is toencouragetheuseofnativespeciesal-readyadaptedtotheharshclimate. Theguideincludesinformationontechniquesforplanting,wildharvest,andtheprotec-tionoffragilecoastalresources.TheAlas-kaCoastalRevegetation&ErosionControlGuidewasfundedinpartbyagrantfrom

theUSDANaturalResourceConservationService. Theguide isavailable for download at plants.alaska.gov/pdf/Coastal-Reveg-Manual.pdf.

Interior Revegetation Guide

In 2011, an additional guide will be published, coveringplantsandprojectsrelevanttointeriorAlaska.Majorgeographicregionsconsideredinclude:

AlaskaandBrooksRanges•MintoandYukonFlats•TananaandCopperRiverValleys•

One major impact to the natural environment not cov-eredintheCoastalRevegetationGuideisWildfire.FireReclama-tiontechniqueswillbespecificallyaddressedintheforthcomingguide.

The Interior Revegetation guide will focus on plants and projects from the 37

quadrangles of interior Alaska

Revegetation & Erosion Control

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Erosion Control with Vegetation Erosion(thedisplacementofsolidsbytheagentsofwind,water, ice,ormove-mentinresponsetogravity)isaproblemthatgrowers,contractors,engineers,andotherindustryprofessionalshavefacedfordecades.Erosionnotonlycausessoilandnutrientloss,butitcanalsocausesedimentloadingofstreamchannels,whichcanhavemajorimpactsonfisheriesandplantecosystems.Increasingconstruction,urbandevelopmentandclimatechangearejustafewofthemanycausesoferosion.

ThePMCcanoffertechnicaladviceandprojectassistanceonerosioncontrolis-suesthatprofessionalsdealwithdaily.Beingawareofpotentialareasoferosion,aswellasapplicablefederal/stateregulationscangreatlyreducefutureproblemsandallowforasuccessfulproject.ThePMConlydirectlydealswitherosioncontrolissuesnotaffectinglifeorsafety.Fortheseconcerns,contactaprofessionalengineer.StormwaterPollutionPreventionPlans(SWPPPs)areplansthathavebeenfoundtobeeffectiveinaddressingerosionandsedimentationproblemsonconstructionprojectslargerthan1acreinsize.SWPPsarebasedonbestmanagementpractices,andarerequiredforcertainconstruc-tionactivities.ThePMCcanassistinpreparingthevegetationcomponentofaSWPPP.

FormoreInformationonsoilsampling,testing,erosioncontrol,orrevegetation,pleasecontactthePMCat(907)-745-4469.ThreemembersofthePlantMaterialsCenterstaffhavereceivedcertificationasAlaskaCertifiedErosionandSedimentControlLeads(AK-CESCL).

Revegetation & Erosion Control

Live willow stakings, erosion control fabric, and armor rock provide slope reinforcement

PMC staff assisted in the vegetation design of this embankment along the Matanuska River, near Sutton

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Rural Village Seed Production Project

The RuralVillageSeedProductionProject(RVSPP)isanewprojectattheAlaskaPlantMaterials Center, designed to bring small-scale native seed production to ruralcommunitieswiththeintentofstimulatingvillageeconomies,creatingtrainingandjobopportunities,andproducingaqualityseedproducttobesoldforrevegetation. ThePMCisprovidingtechnicalassistance,resources,andtraining;helpingruralAlaskanstodevelopsuccessfulseedproductionprogramsintheircommunities.

Villagesareexpectedtoestablishnativeseedproductionventures,basedonlocalinputandwiththesupportoftheircom-munity.VillageswithstrongcommunitysupportandnaturalplantresourcepotentialwillbereceiveassistanceundertheRVSPP.In-terestedindividualsareencouragedtobecomepartoflargervil-lageprojects.Thefourorfivevillagesshowingthemostinterestwillhavelocalplantresourcesidentifiedforpotentialplantingandharvesting.ThePMCwillworkwithselectedvillagestoevaluateexistingequipmentandinfrastructureaswellastheavailabilityofaworkforcetosupportacommunityproject.Technicalhelpwillbeprovidedthroughouttheprocess,andan informationalwebsitehasbeenestablishedtoaidinthisprocess.

TheRVSPPisamulti-phasedprogram.Inthefirstphase,trainingandequipmentrequirementsforeachvillageweredetermined.PMCstaffwillworkwithcommunitiesandhelpestablishandcoordinate seedproduction.Thenextphase involves thepur-chaseofequipment,preparationofplantingsites,anddevelopmentofseedpurchaseagreements.TrainingwillcontinueinvillagesandatthePMCfacility.TraineesinPalmer

Tow behind harvester at work in rural Alaska

willreceivehands-oninstructiononharvestingprocedures;seedcleaning techniques; equipment operation and maintenance;pest management and noxious weed identification, as well asseedstorage.Thefinalphaseoftheprojectwillbetheinitiationofseedproductioninvillages.Planting,production,harvestingandseedcleaningwillbesupervisedandmonitoredfortwoyears.

The RuralVillageSeedProductionProjectwasfundedbythe American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Imple-menting this project will help communities build an industrythatpromotessoundnaturalresourceuse,andprovidetheag-riculturalmaterialsneeded to rehabilitatedisturbed lands suchasgravelpits,minesandairports.Thegrant’sgoalistoestablishsustainable,highqualityjobsforruralAlaskans.Thisalignswiththemissionof theAlaskaDivisionofAgriculture: toencourageagriculturaldevelopmentinAlaska.Fundingisexpectedtocon-tinuethrough2013.

RuralvillagesacrossAlaskawerevisitedin2010,includingMetlakatla, Hooper Bay, Emmonak,ManleyHot Springs, Pedro

The RVSPP website, at http://rvspp.plantalaska.net, is a growing resource for rural producers of

agricultural products

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Rural Village Seed Production ProjectBay,andothers.Projectstaffmetwithrepresentativesfromtheseinterestedvillages,andpresentedanoverviewoftheprogramtoeachcommunityvisited.Requiredlaborcontributionandsitecon-ditionswerealsodiscussed.PMCstaffalsoconductedsoilanaly-sesofsomepotentialsitesin2010,withfurthersoiltestsplannedfor2011.Severalsitesarepresentlyunderconsideration,andin2011,fiveofthesepotentialagricultureinitiativeswillbechosentoreceivegrant-fundedsupportfortheirseedproductionefforts.Communityprofilesarebeingpreparedforeachofthevillages,aswellasprintandvideo trainingmaterials.Hands-on trainingatthePMCwillcontinuein2011,focussingonequipmentusage,cropmanagement,andseedprocessing.

Hand harvesting wild grass seed

PMC staff conducted soil tests at potential production sites across Alaska

Agricultural profiles are being prepared for rural sites, highlighting species well adapted to local conditions, historical production efforts,

and contact information for community RVSPP coordinators

photo: brianne bLaCkburn

photo: sobhan sajja

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Certified Seed Laboratory

Cleaned and sorted seed from the Red Devil Mine

The Alaska State Seed Laboratory conducts comprehensive tests on seed

Overview TheAlaskaStateSeedLaboratoryattheAlaskaPlantMaterialsCenter(PMC) isanofficialseedtestinglaboratory,certifiedbytheAssociationofOfficialSeedAnalysts(AOSA),anationalseedtestingorganization.TheAlaskaStateSeedLabwascertifiedin1998,anditremainstheonlyofficialseedtestinglabinthestateofAlaska.

Thelaboratoryprovidesmanyessentialservices,includingpurityandgerminationtests,noxiousweedseedexaminations,tetrazoliumtesting,andgrainmoisturetesting.Theseedlabconductsqualitativeseedanalysisforgrowers,stateandfederalagencies,companies,andacademicinstitutions.

Seed Testing & Analysis Agencyclients,suchastheAgricul-ture Research Service (ARS), U.S. ForestService (USFS), the Alaska Departmentof Transportation and Public Facilities(DOT&PF), and the Division of Forestry(DOF),relyontheStateSeedLabforplantmaterialtesting.SeedgrownatthePMC,intendedforusebytheaboveagencies,isalsoevaluated.

Testreportsareavaluabletoolforendusersofseed.Contaminantssuchasin-ertmatter,weedsandothercropseedsarereported,aswellasgerminationpotential.Requiredbyfederallawforinterstatecommerceandstateregulations,seedofferedforsalemusthavecurrentandaccuratetestingandlabeling.

Theseed labconducts research into laboratorygermina-tionanddormancybreakingtechniques,focusingonunderstud-iednativespeciesthatarebeingconsideredforcultivation.Theseed labalsoassistsother stateagenciesand individuals in re-searchonvariousprojects including seedupgradeandviabilityenhancement,propagationtechniques,and invasiveweedseedvigor.

TheAlaska State Seed Laboratory continues to train andeducatepersonnelinseedexamination,toprovideforcontinuityofservice.In2010,thelabreceivedatechnologyupgrade,con-sistingofaninteractivewhiteboardthatiscoupledwithahigh-powered digital microscope. Conference software running atthePMCallowsthesehigh-resolution imagestobeviewedandmanipulatedfromthemainconferenceroom,assistingtrainingandeducationeffortswithoutputtingsensitivelabequipmentatrisk.

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Seed Cleaning and Conditioning Seed conditioning / cleaning is a critical step in producing a high-quality seedproductthatisfreeofcontaminants.SeedcleaningfacilitiesatthePlantMaterialsCen-terhandleseedfromPMCfields,aswellasseedreceivedfromtheAlaskaSeedGrowersAssociation,privatecompanies,andagencies.

ThePMChastwoseparateseedcleaningfacilities. Thesmallseedlotcleaningfacility(SSLCF)isdesignedforcleaningsmallquantitiesofseed(upto150lbs),andhasmoreprecisionequipment.Largerlotsaresenttothelargeseedcleaningfacility,whichcanaccommodatecommercialquantitiesofseed.Cleaningispricedatanhourlyrate.

The seed cleaning ‘season’ is concentrated in thewintermonthswhenfieldactivitieshavesloweddown.Asseasonsex-tendacrosscalendaryears,figuresreportedbelowarecorrelatedwiththeharvestyear.

• 2009CleaningSeason(October2009-August2010): -50,672lbsofcleanedseed • 2010CleaningSeason(October2010-present): -11,400lbsofseedprocessed.

ThePMChasover50harvestedlotsyettobeprocessedthisseasoninthesmallseedlotcleaningfacility(includingover100bushelsofsprucecones)andapproximately200bulkbagsofseedtoprocessinthelargerfacility.

Seed Cleaning Equipment ThePMCuses specializedequipment tohandledifferentamountsandtypesofseed. Theseedcleaningprocessutilizesmachinesthatbrush,agitate,orblowweedsandnon-seedma-terialawayfromthecrop. Seedcleaningisamulti-phasedprocess,workingfromarawharvestmaterialwithalotofcontami-nantsandchaffdowntoarefinedproductofnearlypureseed.

Cleaningdebrisfromseedinvolvesseparating crop seed, weed seed, stemsorleaves(chaff),andothercontaminantsby their physical properties (size, shape,specificgravity,weight,etc).Screensdivideacropbasedonsizeorshape,whileanairmachine will separate based on weight.The process is different for every crop.Seed can vary in size from year to year,dependingonenvironmentalconditions.

Pure Beach Wildrye (Leymusmollis) seed

The screen separator uses vibrating screens to sepa-rate chaff from target seeds

photos: sobhan sajja

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Seed Cleaning and Conditioning AnassortmentofcleaningequipmentallowsthePMCtohandleawidevarietyofcrops.Ashortlistofthemost-usedma-chineryincludesthefollowing:

Screen Separator - Thismachineseparatestargetseedfromun-wantedmaterial(chaff,inertmaterial,othersizesofseed)throughaseriesofvibratingscreens.Thetopscreenscalpsoffmaterialthatislargerthantheseed.Thebottomscreens,combinedwithairflow, separate lightweight trash and dust,which are ejectedthroughdifferentchutes.

Brush Cleaner - Abrushcleanerconsistsofascreencylinderandrotatingbrushesthatagitatetheseedawayfromanyplantmate-rialorseedcasingtowhichitmaystillbeattached.Thismachineisparticularlyusefulforseedattachedtocottony(fluffy)materialsuchasfireweed,orseedthatisstillattachedtothestemafterharvesting.Stemsorfluffarebrushedawayfromtheseed,whichisejectedthroughthescreencylinder.Differentsizedscreenscanbechosenbasedonseedsize.

Air Seperator - Anairseparatorusesachamber (oraseriesofchambers) of amonitored air flow to blowoff lightermaterialfrom the target seed. This inert ‘trash’ canbedust, stems, orundersized/brokenandweedseed.ThePMChasasinglecham-

beredairseparatorusedforsmalllotsandalarger,four-chamberedairseparatorwhichisusedforlargelots.Thelargerseparatorallowstheoperatortosetagradientofair,withincreasingairflowusedtoseparatedifferentimpuritiesfromtheseed.Thetrash

A brush cleaner uses rotating brushes to separate seed from inert plant materials

fromeachchamberisejectedintoachute,leavingonlythefinalproduct.

Gravity Separator - Agravityseparatorisusedtoseparateprod-ucts that areof the same sizebutwith a difference in specificgravity. This method is particularly useful when the seed hasbeenprocessedbutcontainsaweedseedofsimilarsizethathasnot been separated outwith screening or air separation. Thismachineisusedforaveryspecificcleaningprocess,andmustbetunedforeachtargetseed.Whenitisused,thegravityseparatorisafinishingstepinthecleaningprocess.

Indent Cylinder - Theindentcylinderisalsoafinishingmachinewhichallowsspecificgradingofproductbasedonsize.Itiscom-posed of feeder, a rotating cylinder with indentions, and twochutes. Seedofacertainsizewillgetcaught in the indentsasthecylinderrotatesandwillbecarriedawayfromtheseedthatremainsandbothareejectedthroughseparatechutes. Plant materials of similar size but different densities

are separated using a gravity separator

photos: sobhan sajja

Soil Testing and Analysis

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There aremany variables to considerwhenplanning afield, garden, or reveg-etationproject.Temperature,moisture,aspect,region,andspeciesselectionalleffecttheoutcomeaproject.Animportant,andoftenoverlooked,variabletoconsiderwhenchoosingagrowing site is the soil type. Soils, alongwithmanyotherenvironmentalfactors,playalargeroleinthesuccessofaproject.Soiltemperature,nutrientcapacity,waterholdingcapacity,andphysicalmakeupareallfactorswhichmayhaveanegativeand/orpositiveeffectonplantgrowth.

The soils laboratory at the PlantMaterialsCenter(PMC)has limitedcapa-bilitytocollectandtestsoils fromacrossofAlaska,increasingpublicaccesstovitalchemical and physical soil data. Knowingthetypeandpotentiallimitationsofasoilcan provide field crops and revegetationprojectsahighersuccessrate.Inthefieldorattheprojectsite,

Sampling TheAlaskaPMCutilizesseveraldif-ferent methods to collect soil samples.Samples are gathered using clear PVCbore hole probes, in either 6 or 24 inchdepthincrements.Thistypeofcollectionextractsa small verticalprofilewith littletonocompaction.Theboreholemethodallowscollectionatmanysites ina shortamount of time. Alternatively, samplescanbecollectedusingahandpoweredau-ger.Theaugermethodallowslargequan-tities of soil to be collected, to a depthofupto16feet.Anaugercanbeusedinsand,silt,clay,mud,orrocklessthan2mmindiameter.Boththeboreholeandaugermethodscanbeusedinconjunctionwithopenpitdigging. Eachsamplingmethodcanbeadapted toaccount for variabilityofsites.

A soil monolith that was extracted using a hand-auger and spade-shovel; tools commonly used to dig a soil horizon. A monolith shows the texture and

character of distinct horizons within the soil profile.

photo: brennan veith LoW

Soil Testing and Analysis

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Chemical Testing and Analysis The PMC can conduct chemical constituent testing ofcollected soil samples. Utilizing colorimetric, titrimetric, andelectronicmethods, the PMC tests formacronutrients such asNitrogen,Phosphorus,Potassium,Calcium,andMagnesium.Mi-cronutrients,suchasIron,Copper,Zinc,Chlorine,andManganesecanalsobetested.Testingprotocolsfortracenutrientssuchasaluminumandsodiumarecurrentlybeingdeveloped. Inaddi-tion,electro-conductivity (EC)andpHcanbecalculatedand/ormeasured from collected samples or in the field if requested.Eachnutrient is reported in totalamountswithin the soil solu-tion,andcalculationscanbedonetoestimatethetotalamountofavailablenutrienttoaplant.Oncechemicaldataisobtained,nutrientdeficienciesand/ortoxicitiescanbeidentified,andfertil-izerratiosrecommendedfortheprojectarea.

Colorimetric soil tests measure pH, as well as concentrations of phosphorous (P) , iron (FE+) and nitrogen (N+) in a sample. Darker colors

indicate higher concentrations.

The soils testing lab at the Alaska Plant Materials Center.

photo: Casey DinkeL

Soil Testing and Analysis

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A quarter, shown for reference, illustrates the progressively smaller particle sizes that fall through

openings in soil sieves used to grade samples

Texture and Bulk Density Analysis Soilanalysisincludesthedescriptionofphysicalcharacter-isticsofasoil,suchastextureandbulkdensity. Thesephysicalcharacteristicscanaffectplantgrowth,andalsoindicatetheero-sionpotentialofasite.Basichandtools,suchasagardentrowel,soilsieve,andaweighscaleareutilizedtocollectsoilsamplesforlabanalysis.

Textureanalysisisperformedbyweighing,drying,andsift-ingeachsamplethroughacolumnofsoilsieves.Thesesievesal-lowthesampletobedividedaccordingtoparticlesize.Soilsam-plesaregradedintoverycoarsesand,coarsesand,mediumsand,fine sand, very fine sand, silt, and clay. A rotating and tappingmachine,appropriatelynamedtheRoto-Tap, isusedtoprocesseachsampleforaknownlengthoftime.Thismachineusesacon-sistentlyappliedcircular,upanddownmotion,allowingpreciseresultstobeobtained.

Once divided, the soil remaining within each sieve isweighedagain,andapercentagecompositioniscalculatedandrecorded.Soilclassificationisbasedonpercentagesofsand,silt,andclay.LabtechnicianscategorizeeachsoilsampleaccordingtotheUSDAtexturaltriangle(bottomright).Lastly,bulkdensitytesting is performed to determine soil compaction,water con-tent,andporosity.

USDA Soil Textural Triangle

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Potato Disease Control

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Potatoes are among the most valuable crops grown onAlaskan farms. Diseases can cause significant losses, reducingbothyieldandquality.Seedtubersfreefromdisease,producedunderstrictprotocolsatthePMC,aresoldannuallytogrowers,tobeincreasedoverthenextseveralyears.Thissystemenablesthegrower tomaintain yields by annually replacingolder diseasedseedwithclean,highquality,certifiedseed.

The importation of seed from outside the state has thepotential to introducepestsordiseasesnot known tooccur inAlaska,andisthereforediscouraged.GrowerswishingtotrynewvarietiesareencouragedtoobtaincleanseedpotatostockfromthePMC.

Pathogen Testing SeedprovidedbythePMCisusedastheinitialstockforamultipleyearcertifiedseedproductionscheme,andmustbeofthehighestquality.Allproductionisrigorouslytestedandretestedfordiseasepriortosale.Seedpotatoesforexportmustmeettheimportingcountries’phytosanitaryrequirements,whichtypicallyrequirelabtestingtoensurecompliancewithregulations.

ThediseasesofprimaryimportanceareBacterial Ring Rot(BRR)andthevirusesPotato Leafroll Virus(PLRV),Potato Virus Y(PVY),Potato Virus X(PVX),Potato Virus S (PVS),Potato Virus A(PVA),Potato Virus M(PVM),Potato Moptop Virus(PMTV)andtheviroid,Potato Spindle Tuber Virus(PSTV).

Disease-Tested Seed Potato Production Disease-testedpotatoplantsaremasspropagatedinasterileenvironment.Grow-ersplaceordersfortheseseedtubersthewinterpriortoproduction,whichprovidesthenecessaryleadtimetopropagatethethousandsofplantsrequiredthefollowingspring.Requestedvarietiesareobtainedeitherfromexistingstocksintheclonebank,orfromseedprogramsintheUSorCanada.

ApplicationsforcertificationaresubmittedbyseedgrowerstothePMCinJune.Twofieldinspectionsareperformedoneachseedlotduringthegrowingseason.Thepercentofdiseasedplants is calculatedanddiscussedwith thegrower. Certificationstandardsallowforthepresenceofsmallamountsofdisease,uptoacertainlevel.Re-movalofdiseasedoroff-typeplantscanbringalotintocompliance.Fieldinspectionsrepresent aneffectiveway to identifyand remove seed lotswhichhavebecome toodiseased,orareotherwiseofreducedvalueforuseasseed.

Seed Potato Certification StateofAlaskaSeedRegulation11 AAC 34.075 (J)requiresthatallpotatoessold,offeredforsale,orrepresentedasseedpotatoesbecertified.Growerproducedcerti-

‘Hilite’ potato variety in flower at the PMCphoto: brennan veith LoW

A test-tube plantlet is grown in a sterile environment at the

PMC potato lab

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Potato Disease Control

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A potato exhibits signs of powdery scab, caused by Spongosporasubterranea, a potato fungus

fied seedpotatoes are sold to other seed growers, table stockgrowers,gardensupplyretailersandgardenersthroughoutAlas-ka.Certifiedseedpotatoesaregrown in theMatanuskaValley,Fairbanks,Nenana,andDeltaJunction.

The SeedPotatoCertificationProgramisdesignedtopro-videgrowerswithpotato seedstock that is varietallypureandrelativelyfreefromdiseasecausingorganisms.Theseresultsareachievedbythevoluntarycomplianceofseedgrowerswithcer-tificationregulations.Theuseofseedinwhichdiseasesareab-sentoratmanageablelevelshasbeenproventogreatlyreducetheriskoflosses.Thelocalavailabilityofdisease-testedseedre-ducesthepotentialofintroducingdiseaseswhichcouldbecomeendemic.ThePMCcurrentlyhas150namedvarietiesinthefieldandtissueculturebank.Therewerealmost60varietiesenteredforcertificationin2009.

2009 Activities Thepotatodiseasecontrolprogramproduced600 lbsofGeneration-Zero (G0) seed in the greenhouse and maintained150varieties,bothinthefieldandintissueculture.Therewere58varietiesinproductionascertifiedseedon198acresinAlaskaduringtheyear.Noseriousdiseaseorweathereventsoccurredin2009.

2010 Activities Theprogramproduced650lbsofG0seedinthegreenhouseandmaintained150varietiesinthefieldandintissueculture.Therewere62varietiesinproductionascerti-fiedseedon153acresinAlaska.Afterarainysummer,LateBlightwasfoundinthreefieldsintheMatanuskaValleyonSeptember9th.Mostareafieldshadbeenvine-killedorwerebeingharvestedandfollowupobservationsfailedtodiscovernewinstanceofthevirus.SamplesweresenttoMichiganandfoundtobetheU.S.8strain.Farmersare

Certified seed potatoes in the field

photo: Casey DinkeL

advisedtocarefullygradeseedandtodisposeofcullsinaman-nertopreventanydiseasespread.

PowderyscabcausedbythefungusSpongospora subter-raneawasfoundontubersfromagardenintheFairbanksareaandagardenintheCopperCenterarea.Thisdiseaseisseedorsoilborne.Itcausessurfaceblemishesthatlooksimilartocom-monscabandsurvivesinthesoilformanyyears.Abandoningtheinfectedareaandplantingcleanseedwillallowescape.

Ethnobotany Teaching Garden

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In2007,workbeganonthecreationofanEthnobotanyTeachingGardenattheAlaskaPlantMaterialsCenter.Thisgardenwastheculminationofamulti-yearresearcheffortinvolvingtheNon-TimberForestProductscommercialharvestmanual.TheEth-

Two footbridges were installed in 2010, making the Ethnobotany Teaching Garden fully compliant with ADA standards for accessible design

nobotanyTeachingGardenhighlightsdif-ferent cultural and ecological regions ofAlaska,andthenativeplantsfromacrossAlaska thatwere and are being used forfood,medicine or utilitarian purposes. Itshows the ecological niches and regionsthese plants occupy, and provides infor-mation about their agronomic uses andethical harvesting practices. Through in-terpretive signage, group and individualtours, and workshops, the EthnobotanyTeachingGardenhasbecomeashowcaseforNativeAlaskanplants.

With the completion of two foot-bridges in 2010, the garden is nowcom-pletely accessible, and attracting evergreaternumbers.ThetargetaudiencefortheEthnobotanyTeachingGardenincludeslifelongAlaskans,visitors,ethnobotanists,andnativepeoples,aswellasharvesters/buyers/users/researchers of non-timberforest products. Collaborations with Na-tiveorganizations,museums,andheritagesitesareongoing.On-sitedemonstrationgardensdisplayandteachabouttheplantsusedbyNativeAlaskans.

Bytheendoffall,2009,about150differentspeciesofplantshadbeenplant-ed in the garden. Agronomists selectedabout 45 different plants for planting inthespringof2010.Theseplantsarealsomadeavailableforotherculturalgardens.

Since the Ethnobotany TeachingGarden was opened to the public in2009, several schools have made thePlant Materials Center an educationaldestination. As time allows, PMC staffprovide tours, lead workshops, and areavailable to answer questions about

Descriptive signage adorns the Alaska Ethnobotany Teaching Garden

Ethnobotany Teaching Garden

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Botanyasacareerchoice.WhiletheEthnobotanygardenisanewadditiontotheAlaskaPlantMaterialsCenter,ithassignificantlyincreasedpublicexposuretothePMCandtheDivisionofAgriculture.

Elementary school students get involved in some ‘hands-on’ training at the Ethnobotany Teaching Garden

PMC staff facilitates a planting workshop at the Plant Materials Center

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Invasive Weeds & Agricultural Pests InvasiveweedsandagriculturalpestsareanareaofexpandingconcerninAlaska,requiringdiligenteffortstomanageinfestations,preventnewinfestationsandeducatethepublicandindustryonhowtocooperate.Theinvasiveweedsandagriculturalpestmanagementprograminitiatedseveralexcitingprojectsduring2009and2010.

The statewide invasive species coordinator regularly attends local and state-wide meetings about invasive species management to help coordinate actionsand provide advice. Efforts to streamline information sharing, provide educa-tion and assistance to educators (e.g. invasive plants curriculum review, presenta-tions), and develop new technologies continue, in partnership with other agencies.

Core Activities Effortstodevelopacomprehensivestatewidestrategicplanforinvasivespeciesmanagementhaveresultedinadraftplan,currentlyunderreviewbyDNR.TheinvasivescoordinatorprovidedinputondatabasemanagementfortheAKEPIConlinemonitoringsystem,andcollaboratedoninvasivespeciesmodelingwiththeUSGS.

Thedraftstrategicplanforinvasivespeciesmanagementwascompetedin2010,andpresentlyisreceivingfinalrevisionsbeforebeingreleasedforpubliccomment.Thisplanwasdevelopedincooperationwithstateandfederalagencies, industryandcon-servationorganizations.Regulationswerereviewedforpresentcontentandsignificantresearchwasdonetoidentifyregulationsthatworkinotherstates.

The coordinator has worked withmanyotherorganizations,particularly lo-cal groups, to identify and initiate newprojects. Notable projects include state-wideknapweederadication,Canadathis-tlemanagement inAnchorageandmanyothers. Working with the industries toaddress invasivespecies issuesremainsapriority. The Division of Agriculture hashelped tomaintain theweed free foragecertificationprogram,isworkingtoestab-lish a weed free gravel certification pro-gram,and iscontinuingeffortstocoordi-natewiththehorticultureindustry.

Eradication InitiativesPurple Loosestrife

Purpleloosestrifeisanotoriousin-vader that clogswetlands, compromisinghabitat for salmon and waterfowl. Loos-

Purple loosestrife invades wetlands, compromising salmon and waterfowl habitat. Shown here is the loosestrife infestation

discovered in Westchester lagoon, Anchorage.

In 2010, in coordination with BLM, an invasive survey of gravel mines / material sites in northern and interior Alaska. A survey / inventory was collected - notable presence of sweetclover.

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Invasive Weeds & Agricultural PestsestrifeinfestationswerediscoveredinWestchesterLagooninAnchorage,in2005,anderadicationeffortsresultedinfewremainingplantsin2009and2010,indicatingeffortsareworking.Still,alimitednumberofpeopleintheAnchorageareauseloosestrifeasanornamental.TheDivisionofAgriculturehasofferedfreealternativestoindividualswillingtoreplacetheirplantedloosestrife.Thiseffortwillcontinuein2011.

Spotted Knapweed Eradication

The PMC led a Spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe) eradicationeffort in 2009 and2010,with funding from theUSFishandWildlifeService(USFWS)throughtheAmericanRecov-eryandReinvestmentAct. Spottedknapweedwasrecordedat23differentlocationsinAlaska,alllocatedintheSoutheastandSouthcentralregions.Spottedknapweedhasthepotentialtobeextremely invasive inAlaska. InotherpartsofNorthAmerica,whereitismorewidespread,severedeclinesinagriculturalpro-ductivityhavebeenseen,aswellasareductioninforagespeciesavailableforwildlife.

With the limited number of infestations recorded, thesmallsizeoftheseinfestations,andthethreatknapweedposestoagriculturalandnaturalresources,eradicationoftheplantisapriority.AcoordinatedefforttoaddressthescatteredknapweedinfestationsacrossAlaskawasinitiatedwiththisproject.PMCstaffvisitedeachofthelocationswhereinfestationswererecorded,twiceinthesummerof2009,andatleastoncein2010.Ifknapweedplantswerefound,theywerepulled,baggedandproperlydisposedof.Recordswerekept,andthedetailsweresubmittedtoanonlinedatabaseofinfestationsinAlaska(AKEPIC-http://akweeds.uaa.alaska.edu).

Eradicationeffortsresultedinacompleteremovalofallbut5oftheoriginal23recordedinfestationsbytheendof2010.PMCstaffevaluatedtheeradicationinitiativeandfoundthat,withthesesmallinfestations,consistentlyappliedweed-pullingeffortsareaneffectivemethodtoreducethesizeof,andeventuallyeliminate,infestations.Ef-fortstocontinueeradication,incoordinationwithUSFWS,continuedin2010.

Anchorage Canada Thistle Management

Canadathistleisanotoriousinvaderofwildandagriculturallandsthathasgot-tenoutofhandinmostofNorthAmerica.However,inAlaskaitismostlyconfinedtoAnchorageandsomecommunitiesinSoutheastAlaska.Effortsbeganin2010tocontaintheCanadathistle infestations inAnchorage. Fundingreceivedallowedforcoordina-tionwithDOTandmechanicalmanagementofinfestations.Fundsthatwouldhaveal-lowedformoreaggressivechemicaltreatmentswerereturnedtotheNationalFishandWildlifeFoundation,becauseofabsentnon-federalmatchingfunds.Effortscontinuetocoordinatewithagenciesandgarnerfundingtoimplementmoreaggressivetreatmentefforts.

Spotted knapweed invades wild and agricultural lands. Knapweed competes with native species,

limiting available forage for animal grazing.

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Weed Free Gravel CertificationTheNorthAmericanWeedManagementAssociationhasdevelopedstandardsandprotocolsforthecertificationofgravelsourcesasweed-free.In2010,PMCstaffin-ventoriedstateandBLMownedpitsontheDalton,ElliotandSteesehighways.Thegoalwastobeginkeepingrecordsofweedsfoundingravelpits,andtoevaluatethedevelop-mentofavoluntaryweedfreegravelcertificationprogram.Pitssurveyedwerelargelyclean,withsomenotableweedssuchaswhitesweetclover,andnarrowleafhawksbeardinabouthalf thepits. In summer2011,additionalpits inSouthcentralAlaskawillbeinventoried.

PMCstaffarecoordinatingwithAlaskangravelproducerstoestablishavoluntaryweed-freegravelcertificationprogram.Presentationsweremadein2010totheAlaskaRockProductsAssociationandtheAlaskaMinersAssociation.Onceimplemented,avol-untaryweed-freegravelcertificationprogramshouldresultinavalueaddedproductforgravelproducers.Anticipatedusesincludepubliclands,suchaswildlifeorgamerefuges,andrestorationprojectsinsensitiveareas.

Horticulture Industry Coordination

http://PlantAlaska.net is an industry focused website, dealing with invasive plant issues and strategies

The horticulture industry may ac-cidentallyintroduceinvasiveweedsorag-riculturalpestswhendoingbusiness,andtheir customers may transplant invasiveweedstoyardsandgardenswhentheyarenotawareoftheconsequencestheprettyflowerontheroadsidemightcause. TheDivisionofAgricultureisworkingwiththehorticulturalindustrytoidentifysolutionsthat will protect resources and improvetheproductsprovidedtocustomers. PMC staffhosted severalmeetingswithmem-bersofthehorticultureindustry,inJuneau,AnchorageandFairbanks.Thesemeetingswillcontinue,andmanyoftheissuesdis-cussedarebeingincorporatedintoPlantA-laska.net,anonlinecommunicationforumdedicatedtohorticulturerelated invasivespeciesissues.

Invasive Weeds & Agricultural Pests

Other Interesting Things

PMC staffpartneredwithDr.Quentin Skinner during 2009 and 2010, assistinginresearchpertainingto‘AFieldGuidetoAlaskaGrasses’.Dr.Skinneristheauthorofseveralpublications;AFieldGuide toNevadaGrassesandAFieldGuide toWyomingGrassesbeingthelatest.PMCstaffprovidedassistancewithspeciesandhabitatiden-tification,anddetailaboutthesuitabilityofNativeAlaskaGrassesforrevegetationap-plications,andaccompaniedtheauthorincollectiontripsacrossthestatein2009-2010.Sitesvisitedin2009includedAdak,PrudhoeBay,Fairbanksandotherinteriorsites.In2010,sitesvisitedincludedJuneau,Sitka,Kotzebue,andNome.

A Field Guide to Alaska Grasses

As a sponsoring institution, thePMC was instrumental in securing fund-ing assistance for this publication fromseveralagencies, including theBureauofLand Management, US Fish and WildlifeService, and the US Forest Service. TheUSDANaturalResourceConservationSer-vicealsocontributedfundstodevelopandpublishtheFieldGuidetoAlaskaGrasses.PublicationoftheGuideisexpectedinthefirsthalfof2011.

Dr. Skinner photographs a grass specimen for the forthcoming Field Guide to Alaska

Dr. Quentin Skinner visits western Alaska, in search of native grasses

photos: stoney Wright

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Staff Presentations & PublicationsFormal PresentationsCampbell, William L. 2009. PotatoProductionandCertification. AlaskaPotatoandVegetableConference.February10-112009.PalmerAK.

Campbell, William L. 2009. Potatoes in the Far FrozenNorth. Alaska Botanical Garden 2009SpringConference.April4,2009AnchorageAK.

Campbell, William L. 2010. Certification Up-date. Alaska Potato and Vegetable ConferenceFebruary16–17,2010.PalmerAK.

Campbell, William L.2010.PotatoesintheFarFrozenNorth(2)AlaskaBotanicalGarden2010SpringConference.AnchorageAK.

Campbell, William L.2010PotatoGrowing.October5th2010.CentralPeninsulaGardenClubSoldotnaAK.

Hunt, Peggy. 2009. TheCurrentStatusoftheCommercialProductionandAvailabilityofAlaskanNativePlants.January22,2009monthlymeetingoftheAmericanSocietyofLandscapeArchi-tects,AlaskaChapter.Anchorage,AK.

Hunt, Peggy. 2009. TheNewEthnobotanyGardenattheAlaskaPlantMaterialsCenter.March6,2009.AlaskaGreenhouseandNurseryConference.Wasilla,AK.

Hunt, Peggy. 2009.LandscapingwithAlaskaNativePlants.September,23,2009.2009GrowninAlaskaWorkshop.Palmer,AK.

Hunt, Peggy.2009.CollectingandGrowingNativeAlaskanEthnobotanicalPlants.November30,2009. Guestspeaker forUniversityofAlaska,FairbanksEthnobotanyWebinar,Fairbanks,AK.

Hunt, Peggy.2010.GrowingAlaskanNativePlantsFromSeed,EthnobotanyTeachingGarden,AvailabilityofAlaskanNativePlantSeed.September21-22,2010.2010GrowninAlaskaWork-shop.Palmer,AK.

Wright, Stoney J.,2009.Revegetation&ErosionControlwithNativeSpeciesMarch23,2009.GuestspeakerforAlaskaDepartmentofTransportation&PublicFacilitiesclass,Fairbanks,AK.

Wright, Stoney J.,2009.Revegetation&ErosionControlwithNativeSpeciesMarch24,2009.GuestspeakerforAlaskaDepartmentofTransportation&PublicFacilitiesclass,Anchorage,AK.

Wright, Stoney J.,2009.Revegetation&ErosionControlwithNativeSpeciesMarch26,2009.GuestspeakerforAlaskaDepartmentofTransportation&PublicFacilitiesclass,Juneau,AK.

Wright, Stoney J.,2009.Long-TermMonitoringofDuneRe-EstablishmentandSandQuarryRes-torationUtilizingBeachWildrye,LeymusmollisOntheFormerAdakNavalAirStationOnAdakIsland,Alaska.2009AnnualMeetingoftheAmericanSocietyofAgronomy,Pittsburgh,PA.

PMC Hosted WorkshopsAugust 4, 2009. InstituteforAgriculture intheClassroomTeachersWorkshop. Trainer:PMCstaff.CoordinatedbyVictoriaNaegele,AlaskaFarmBureau.30participants.

August 8, 10, 11, 2009. GrassIdentificationWorkshop.Trainer:Dr.QuentinF.Skinner,EducationResourcesLLC&UniversityofWyoming,Emeritus.CoordinatedbySocietyofWetlandScientists.24participants.

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Campbell, William L. 2009.StateofAlaskaPotatoSeedCertificationHandbook2009(update)

Campbell, William L. 2010.StateofAlaskaPotatoSeedCertificationHandbook.2010(update)

Graziano, G. & Weaver, A.2009.EradicationofSpottedKnapweed(Centaureastoebe)Infesta-tionsinAlaska In proceedingsofthe10thAnnualAlaskaInvasiveSpeciesConferences.October26-28,Ketchikan,AK.

Hunt, Peggy., 2009. EthnobotanyResearchProject.In:AlaskaPlantMaterialsCenter2008An-nualReport.p.15-16.http://plants.alaska.gov/pdf/AnnualReport2008.pdf

Hunt, Peggy.2009.(EditorandDesigner)CommissionersReportontheAlaskaDivisionofAgri-culture(2009Brocuhere).StateofAlaska,DivisionofAgriculture,PlantMaterialsCenter.18pp.http://plants.alaska.gov/pdf/DivAg2009Brochure.pdf

Hunt, Peggy.2009.AlaskaBiofuelPlants:Past,Present&Future.StateofAlaska,DivisionofAg-riculture,PlantMaterialsCenter,UniversityofAlaskaFairbanks,&Matanuska-SusistnaBorough-Palmer,AK4pp.http://plants.alaska.gov/pdf/AlaskaBiofuelPlants.pdf

Ross, Donald R. 2009.AlaskaPlantProfiles: FiddleheadFerns.AlaskaDepartmentofNaturalResources,DivisionofAgriculture,PlantMaterialsCenter,Palmer,AK.4pp.

Ross, Donald R.,2009.AlaskaPlantProfiles:Conks/ShelfFungi.AlaskaDepartmentofNaturalResources,DivisionofAgriculture,PlantMaterialsCenter,Palmer,AK.4pp.

Weaver, A. & Graziano, G.2009.DevelopingtheInvasivesFreeCooperatorProgram In proceed-ingsofthe10thAnnualAlaskaInvasiveSpeciesConferences.October26-28,Ketchikan,AK.

Wright, Stoney J.2009.Long-TermMonitoringofDuneRe-EstablishmentandSandQuarryRes-torationUtilizingBeachWildrye,LeymusmollisOntheFormerAdakNavalAirStationOnAdakIsland,Alaska.In Proceedingsforthe2009AnnualMeetingoftheAmericanSocietyofAgronomy,Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania.(Abstract).

Wright, Stoney J. & Czapla, Phil K. 2010.AlaskaCoastalRevegetation&ErosionControlGuide.StateofAlaska,DivisionofAgriculture,PlantMaterialsCenter.234pp.http://plants.alaska.gov/pdf/Coastal-Reveg-Manual.pdf

PMC staff utilize the Ethnobotany Teaching Garden for educational workshops

Staff Presentations & PublicationsMarch 9, 10, 2010. NationalPesticideApplicatorCertificationTraining,StateofAlaska,DepartmentofEnvironmentalConservation. Trainer:SteveBrown,Mat-SuCopperRiverDistrictAgricultureAgent.20par-ticipants.

August 3, 2010. Institute for Agriculture in the Classroom TeachersWorkshop.Trainer:PMCstaff.CoordinatedbyVictoriaNaegele,AlaskaFarmBureau.28participants.

September 21, 2010. 2010GrowninAlaskaWorkshop.PMCstaff.Co-ordinatedbyAlaskaDivisionofForestry.90participants.

Staff Publications