Colorado Plateau Native Plant Program2016 Annual Meeting March 22-23 Page AZ

National Pollinator Strategy and USFS

Steve Popovich

Forest BotanistUnited States Forest Service (USFS)

Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National GrasslandFt Collins, Colorado

Forest Service and the Colorado PlateauThree USFS regions overlap the Colorado Plateau Ecoregion/ProvinceIntermountain Region (R4) - National Forests and Grasslands of Utah, Nevada, s. Idaho, w. WyomingRocky Mountain Region (R2) - National Forests and Grasslands of Colorado, WY, sw SD, KS, NE

Southwest Region (R3) - National Forests and Grasslands of AZ and NM

Green polys = National ForestsOrange polys = National Grasslands

National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration 2015-2020(previous speaker’s presentation)

http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/prog/more/CPNPP/0/seedstrategy.html

Seed strategy is designed to provide a more coordinated approach among tribal, state, federal, local and private entities, including commercial growers, to restoring plant communities.

Vision - Right seed in the right place at the right time.

Mission - Ensure the availability of genetically appropriate seed to restore viable and productive plant communities and sustainable ecosystems.

Key concept

Native Plant Materials = Pollinators = Resiliency

National Pollinator Strategy walks hand-in-hand with National Seed Strategy (2015) and Presidential Memorandum - Creating a Federal Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators (2014)

National Seed Strategy vision adapted for Pollinators

Right seed for the right pollinators in the right place at the right time.

So how do we do all of this?

National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators

Effected May 2015

https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/Pollinator%20Health%20Strategy%202015.pdf

Pollinator Health Task Force, co-chaired by Hon. Tom Vilsack, Sec of Ag and Hon. Gina McCarthy, EPA was created given the breadth, severity, and persistence of pollinator losses:

• Nearly 80 percent of flowering plants in the world rely on pollinatorsfor reproduction

• Many Threatened, Endangered and Sensitive plants in USFS West relyon obligate pollinators

• Most fruit, vegetable and seed crops are pollinated by an animalpollinator

• Honey bee colonies are down from 6 billion in 1947 to 2.5 billiontoday

• Monarch butterfly migration is in imminent risk of failure• Native bee extinctions are on the rise

Developed through a collaborative effort across the Executive Branch

Comprehensive approach to reducing impact of multiple stressors on pollinator health, including pests and pathogens, reduced habitat, lack of nutritional resources, and exposure to pesticides

Strategy expands and adds to actions already being undertaken by Federal departments and agencies to reverse pollinator losses and restore populations to healthy levels.

Involves numerous federal government agencies and departments

Addresses key stressors impacting pollinator health: (1) nutrition, with a focus on providing adequate forage resources for pollinators(2) land-use policies and practices to increase forage and nesting resources for a variety of pollinators(3) management of arthropod pests and disease pathogens(4) pesticides(5) rearing issues, including bee biology, genetics, and breeding

Strategy includes the following components:Pollinator Research Action PlanPlans for expanding education and outreachOpportunities for public-private partnershipsImproving pollinator habitat

Identifies federal actions to reverse pollinator loss and ensure a level of pollinators that would sustain agricultural production and protect the health of the environment for the foreseeable future

Recognizes the critical roles of non-federal stakeholders and national seed strategy in meeting pollinator recovery and management objectives

FY16 budget all agencies and departments = 82.49 million. Currently, none goes to USFS, 2nd largest land manager in North AmericaAdded since presentation: Region 4 to receive substantial funds (!) for native plant materials development for sagegrouse- and pollinator-friendly species common garden studies leading to seed transfer

Success will be assessed through three overarching outcome metrics:

(1) Honey Bees: return honey bee colony health to acceptable levels (approximately 15% overwintering loss, a level from which beekeepers are capable of successfully dividing surviving healthy colonies to remain economically viable)

Goal: Reduce honey bee colony losses during winter (overwintering mortality) to no more than 15% within 10 years

(2) Monarch butterflies: increasing monarch butterfly populations to historic averages to ensure successful continuation of annual migrations

Goal: Increase the Eastern population of the monarch butterfly to 225 million butterflies in the overwintering grounds in Mexico

Success will be assessed through three overarching outcome metrics cont’d:

(3) Pollinator Habitat Acreage: increasing and maintaining cumulative pollinator habitat acreage in critical regions of the country

Goal: Restore or enhance 7 million acres of land for pollinators over the next 5 years through Federal actions and public/private partnerships

The target outcome anticipates that fifty percent of acreage improvement will be sourced from federally-managed lands, and fifty percent through working with partners to create or enhance habitat on state, locally-managed, and private lands

There are numerous fed agencies/depts and metrics involved in numerous focus areas

Agencies to report back to the Pollinator Health Task Force re: metrics accomplishments

Two principle agencies are BLM and USFS

Talk highlights metrics in Section E, Native Seed Strategy and Reserve:(get ready for lots of small print)

1. Creating a Reserve of Native Seed MixesPlant Material Development and Production-Identification of potential pollinator-attractive plants and best way to increase them-Identifying existing and ongoing pollinator plant production-Expanding private-sector species availability: Federal agencies with responsibilities for developing plant materials will assess the collaborative work that is underway with the private seed industry to increase the availability of a variety of pollinator-friendly native species for use in wildlands and natural areas, as well as the collaborative work needed to maintain a seed supply of pollinator-friendly species for restoration and other uses

2. Seed Collection, Storage, and UseIdentifying additional plant collection and grow-out needs: Federal agencies will work with USDA-NRCS Plant Materials Centers, local native plant societies, the seed industry and other partners, agencies, and organizations to create or update Technical Notes that outline pollinator-friendly species by ecoregion. By 2017, all ecoregions in the United States will have pollinator-friendly plant lists.- Confirming and augmenting seed storage capacity

- Empowering agency use of pollinator-friendly seedstock- Agencies will identify funding sources for implementingthe seed reserve actions in the Presidential Memorandumand Strategy.

Important slide – don’t sleep hereMetrics for Implementing a Federal Native Seed Strategy and Reserve

Plant Material Development and Production:• BLM, USFS, NRCS, and ARS will identify plant species that are most beneficial to pollinators to consider in regional development programs by August 2015.• Agencies that use native plants in restoration activities will determine which pollinator-attractive native plant species are the highest priority for developing seed transfer and distribution zones (September 2015).• Federal agencies with responsibilities for plant materials development will identify species beneficial to pollinators that are currently being produced by each of the Federal agencies, and will establish the availability of each species by December 2015.• By October 2015, Federal agencies will identify those pollinator-friendly plant species currently in growout programs that are expected to be harvested and made commercially available in the summer/fall of 2016.• Agencies will also identify by October 2015 those species they expect to begin evaluating and producing, along with estimated targets for when adequate seed of such species will be available to transfer to commercial producers.

Another important slide – don’t sleep here either!Metrics for Implementing a Federal Native Seed Strategy and Reserve

Seed Collection, Storage, and Use:• DOI and the U.S. Forest Service will complete an outline of existing seed collection programs and determine priorities for additional seed collection efforts by October 2015.• Areas where seed may be collected in sustainable amounts will be identified by December 2015, and collection of seed will be initiated in spring of 2016.• Seed storage capacity and needs will be identified by April 2016.• Funding sources for implementing seed reserve actions will be identified by September 2015. • Agencies with land management responsibilities will complete review of policies regarding restoration, rehabilitation, and reclamation using pollinator-attractive plants by December 2016.• Agencies with land management responsibilities will evaluate their need to utilize Restoration Services Contracts by December 2015.

Metrics for National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators(Emphasizing Implementing a Federal Native Seed Strategy and Reserve)

What did the USFS get done?

Not all metrics accomplished, but a very good start

Another important slide – don’t sleep hereUSFS accomplished these metrics in 2015 (Chief’s letter dated 17 Nov)

Also, two metrics the USFS reports internally are No. of Pollinator Gardens and No. of Acres Restored that include a pollinator component

Pollinator Gardens and Pollinator Acres Accomplished for FY 2015:

“Nationally, the FS restored, improved and/or maintained over 500,000 acres [8,800 from R4] of pollinator habitat and established or maintained 77 pollinator gardens.” (source Larry Stritch, USFS National Botanist)

USFS Regions in Colorado Plateau are undertaking:

• Assess pollinator issues of greatest need• Menu Based Seed Mixes by habitat type and seed zone• Reveg guidelines include BMPs for pollinators• Assessing need for increase by species or groups across ownerships in

common with USFS• Focus seed collection and material development specific to areas of

anticipated (identified treatments in a five year action plan) or recurring seed needs (eg. fire history)

• Actively engaging in outreach to educate about bee declines and climate change

• Identifying appropriate areas for apiary permits• Intermtn Region may direct units to contribute ca. 4,000 acres annually

through IPM and IVM projects utilizing Pollinator friendly BMPs and Seed Mixes.

USFS Challenges

Administrative

Physical

Challenges

Administrative1. Capacity• Field units often lack expertise and investment relative to other Forestor Grassland priorities• Larry Stritch retired March 4, 2016

2. Funding• USFS receives little funding relative to DOI-BLM and other DOA agencies• Within USFS there are no targets or associated funding – unfunded mandatedifficult to prioritize• Created accomplishment tracking - shows need for funding

3. Administration change Impacts to program and Pres Memo? +/-/neutral?

Challenges, con’t

Physical1. Amount of seed needed Where will the volume of needed seed come from??

Example: Sage Grouse Restoration Activities Planned in NV-ID-UT(R4) under Record of Decision in next decade = 260,000 Acres!

2. Infinite number of ecotypes How meaningfully derive common needs at appropriate ecotypic levels

And the big elephant in the room!....

3. Weed seed in seed increased or orderedHuge challenge that is growing, not adequately addressedRegardless of seed quantities/nativity…this is happening nowBLM gov contract weed tolerances tighter than past but still allow many weeds some are noxious in some States (ex cheatgrass)“Noxious: NONE” misunderstood, conveys false sense of weed statusWhen you order some “weed-free” seed, also order for me:Bucket of SteamStripe PaintAC Batteries

Cheatgrass and Medusahead

Regional Botanists in Colorado Plateau Province coordinate NPM and Pollinator programs - USFS recently filled all three vacant positions!

For more information contact:

Intermountain Region (R4) - John Proctor jproctor@fs.fed.usSouthwest Region (R3) – Kathryn Kennedy kathrynlkennedy@fs.fed.usRocky Mountain Region (R2) - Tyler Johnson tdjohnson02@fs.fed.us

We are all in this together – we need each other!Colorado Plateau Native Plant ProjectUP ProjectGreat Basin Restoration InitiativeSouthern Rockies Seed Network http://www.synergy3.org/yellowpages.phpPlant Materials CentersSeed testing and storage facilitiesSeed producers and vendorsAll other stakeholders, public and private

Concluding concept: go from phrenic individual efforts to more efficient, coordinated networkVideo cheetah – where we areVideo impala – where we want to be

See above yellow pagesfor seed sharing opportunities