RNGR.net is sponsored by the USDA Forest Service and Southern Regional Extension Forestry and is a colloborative effort between these two agencies.

U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Forest Service Southern Regional Extension Forestry Southern Regional Extension Forestry

Skip to content. | Skip to navigation

Home → Publications → Native Plant: Propagation and Restoration Strategies → Keynote: Common Ground and Controversy in Native Plant Restoration: The SOMS Debate, Source Distance, Plant Selection, and Restoration-Oriented Definition of Native

Keynote: Common Ground and Controversy in Native Plant Restoration: The SOMS Debate, Source Distance, Plant Selection, and Restoration-Oriented Definition of Native

Propagation and planting of native plants for habitat restoration is a multi-faceted process. There are many issues over which there is general agreement among restorationists, but there are a number of subjects that cause disagreement. For example, restorationists often agree that native plants should be emphasized, but disagree over where seeds or transplants should come from. In this paper, I examine four areas of controversy: the use single or multiple sources of a species at a given restoration site (the SOMS debate), source distance of plant materials, the use of native plant selections, and the importance of one's definition of "native plant." I conclude that some of these issues may be resolved through careful research, while others will remain a matter of personal opinion, and can only be resolved through a clear statement and scope of objectives of each restoration project.


Download this file:

PDF document Download this file — PDF document, 336Kb

Details

Author(s): Thomas N. Kayne