Why We Cultivate Native Plants on the East Fork Ranch
East Fork thanks Vanessa Robertson-Rojas and Tuula Rebhahn of The Understory Initiative for their collaboration on this piece, including writing, research, and photo contributions
East Fork Cultivars and other farms are working on a special cultivation project in collaboration with The Understory Initiative and support from the US Fish & Wildlife Service: growing plants that are native to Oregon’s coastal meadows to produce seeds for use in habitat restoration projects in these sensitive habitats.
What Are Coastal Habitats?
Oregon’s coastal dunes and meadows reside in the small strip of land between coastal forests and the beach. Often found high up on windswept bluffs, this habitat type is defined by sandy soils, salty conditions, wet winters, dry summers – and did we mention wind?
While some common Oregon bunchgrasses and wildflowers are resilient enough to tolerate these conditions, other species have evolved special adaptations that allow them to grow here – and often nowhere else.
The Importance of Coastal Habitats
Oregon’s coastal ecosystems are an irreplaceable resource, providing a specific habitat for an array of species that include birds, mammals and amphibians.
These areas are also essential for pollinators – some, such as the Oregon Silverspot Butterfly, even require coastal wildflowers to complete their lifecycle.
But between encroachment from development, coastal erosion, and invasive plants like European beachgrass (Ammophila arenaria), the native ecosystems of bluffs, dunes and seaside meadows are losing ground.
Native Plant Seeds: “The Currency of Ecological Restoration”
Native plants are crucial to Oregon’s coastal dunes and meadows. Not only do they hold down the sandy soil and help prevent erosion into the sea, but they also support native bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
Native seeds are considered the “currency of ecological restoration” because they retain the genetic adaptations of their wild parents.
Unlike planting containerized nursery stock, planting seeds for restoration allows the plant to become established in its habitat without need for watering or special care.
Why Must We Cultivate Native Seeds?
For large restoration projects, it is not feasible to collect enough wild seeds to use for many key species. Collection sites are often remote and difficult to access, and frequently the impact on wild plants is too great.
Farmers like East Fork are the key “middleman” to make coastal meadow habitat restoration possible: they grow wild-collected seeds into mature plants that can then be harvested – turning a small handful of seeds into a few pounds or more!
That said, growing native plants is often difficult in the agricultural setting. Most farmers grow crops that all sprout at the same time, grow to a consistent height and size, outcompete most weeds, and ripen at the same time for easy harvesting.
Native plants simply don’t conform! Some plants intentionally produce seeds that have low viability rates to deter predators, while other seeds need extreme conditions to know that the time is right to germinate – including heat, cold, even fire! Even after germination, it may take multiple years for plants to “decide” to send up flowers and produce seeds.
For farmers that are accustomed to harvesting the crop at the end of the growing season and being able to sell it, this creates a financial as well as logistical challenge.
However, our team at East Fork has experience working with cannabis and hemp plants that grow in non-conforming ways, some from seed. Our non-typical agricultural approach has benefited us as we’ve applied ourselves to cultivating native coastal plants.
East Fork’s Partnership
Through The Understory Initiative’s Private Lands program, East Fork has successfully grown native seed crops in the 2021 and 2022 growing seasons – with fantastic yields!
The Private Lands program gives farmers both technical support to successfully grow native seed crops, as well as some financial assistance that helps overcome some of the hurdles of establishing native seed beds.
East Fork co-founder and Chief Cultivation Officer Aaron Howard shares, “For the past two years on the farm, we have been cultivating plant species with ecological and cultural significance, with the aim of producing seed for habitat restoration.”
The partnership has not only been a good business move – it’s also beneficial for the local ecosystem, improving the overall health of the farm.
Aaron explains, “Not only are we enhancing the biodiversity on our farm and aiding the noble work of the Understory Initiative, but we are also gaining an understanding of these native plants that we hope to one day incorporate into the farm on a wider scale.”
Our Native Seed Crops
So what are these amazing native plants, and how do they fit into the overall landscape?
Here are some fast facts:
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Good at competing with nonnative species¹ (Bourdot et al 1985), establishing native plant cover quickly.
The small flower of this member of the aster (sunflower) family supports small pollinators.
Has a long bloom period, supporting pollinators from May through September.
Common and abundant across North America and the world, but grows a bit differently in coastal meadows - a smaller stature may help protect it from wind damage.
Yarrow is widely known for its many uses in herbal medicine around the world, as it has anti-inflammatory properties. Cultural uses across North America include pulmonary, orthopedic (muscular), and respiratory applications.
Seaside Daisy (Erigeron glaucus)
Seaside daisy is a perennial plant that rapidly establishes itself on bare ground, quickly creating native plant cover for habitat restoration.
This Aster (sunflower) family plant has both ray flowers ranging from light pink to blue to purple, and golden yellow disc flowers at the center.
Another common name for this plant is “seaside fleabane”, but it is ineffective against fleas! However, herbivorous insects love to munch on its foliage, including several caterpillars for moths and butterflies².
This plant is globally common and abundant, and cultivars are often used in home gardens³.
Dune Tansy (Tanacetum bipinnatum)
This perennial plant is a dune specialist, and is only found along the Oregon and northern California coastline.
Dune Tansy’s rhizomes (above ground roots) help it spread across areas with very sandy soil, while its bright yellow flowers attract a variety of dune-dependent pollinators.
Dune Tansy is closely related to chamomile and sagebrush. Its leaves are coated with strong-smelling waxy oils that help keep the plant from drying out in the sun and wind.
Springbank Clover (Trifolium wormskioldii)
Springbank Clover is resilient to a wide range of habitats and enjoys full sun, making it a powerful ally in coastal restoration.
Also called Seaside Clover or Coast Clover, this member of the legume family is native across western North America.
This plant is a host plant to Western Cloudwing Butterfly caterpillars
The foliage and flowers can also be eaten by humans, making this a culturally significant plant as well.
Part of the Restoration Solution
Restoring coastal ecosystems can’t be done by one individual, group, or even large government agency like the US Fish & Wildlife service alone – it takes partnerships.
In combining local expertise on rare coastal meadow habitats, the scientific understanding of plant communities, and the technical know-how to grow native seed in the agricultural setting, The Understory Initiative has already reached its goal of making more seeds available for habitat restoration.
Next will be the reward of putting these seeds out on restoration sites, seeing the flowers grow, and watching the bees and butterflies return.
From our small farm in Takilma, East Fork is extremely proud to be a contributor to the vital work of restoring and protecting the health of Oregon’s majestic coastal habitats.
Learn More
To learn more about habitat restoration and native seed farming, contact the following staffers at The Understory Initiative:
Tuula Rebhahn: Rogue Native Plant Partnership co-lead
Vanessa Robertson-Rojas: Private Lands Program (for farmer technical assistance)
Citations
Bourdot, G., Field, R., & White, J. (1985). Growth Analysis of Achillea millefolium L. (Yarrow) in the Presence and Absence of a Competitor-Hordeum vulgare L. (Barley). The New Phytologist, 101(3), 507–519.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.1985.tb02856.x
Karban, R. (University of C., & Strauss, S.(1993). Effects of herbivores on growth and reproduction of their perennial host, Erigeron glaucus. Ecology (Durham), 74(1), 39–46. https://doi.org/10.2307/1939499
Hind, N. (2018), 896. ERIGERON GLAUCUS. Curtis's Botanical Magazine, 35: 359-379. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.pdx.edu/10.1111/curt.12258
References
Applequist, W. L., & Moerman, D. E. (2011). Yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.): A Neglected Panacea? A Review of Ethnobotany, Bioactivity, and Biomedical Research1. Economic Botany, 65(2), 209–225. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-011-9154-3
Kachura, A., & Harris, C. S. (2022). An ethnobotanical meta-analysis of North American medicinal Asteraceae. Botany, 100(2), 207–217. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjb-2021-0079
Mitch. (1990). Yarrow--the herb of Achilles. Weed Technology, 4(2), 451–453. https://doi.org/info:doi/
Oregon Explorer. Coastal Forests and Prairie Habitats.
https://oregonexplorer.info/content/coastal-forest-and-prairie-habitats?topic=11278&ptopic=98
Calscape: Tanacetum bipinnatum https://calscape.org/Tanacetum-bipinnatum-()
