top of page

Regional Ecotype
Availability Project

Roundstone's Regional Ecotype Availability Project (REAP) is connecting grower’s, suppliers, universities, NGOs and government agencies to create collections of seed for public use..

wofford walking.jpg

What is REAP?

Roundstone Native Seed, LLC has a continuing mission of working with native plant enthusiasts and a network of native seed growers all over the eastern United States to help increase the availability of area-specific and locally adapted ecotypes of native plant species. From wild collection and small plot propagation to large-scale production, harvest, and seed cleaning, we have the experience and technology to bring previously uncultivated species or local genetics to market. We work with responsible wild seed collectors, hobby farms, production farms, and native plant promoters to identify:

  • Key species needed for local restoration

  • Donor populations for a seed start

  • Potential methods of growing and mechanical harvest

Why is REAP needed?

Between 2001 and 2017, 24 million acres of natural areas in the United States were lost to land development or impacted by fragmentation. The eastern United States alone lost an average of 1.1 million acres each year. In sports, that is the equivalent of losing a football field every 37 seconds. Urban expansion, energy production, and transportation development were the top three factors contributing to the loss (Theobald et al., 2019). While all three are signs of growth and progress, they come with the price of losing healthy, functioning habitats that provide clean air, clean water, and biodiversity needed to sustain our growing populations.

 

Now more than ever, the conversations and awareness surrounding the impacts of habitat loss and the need for grassland conservation and restoration are gaining traction and national attention. Focused efforts related to climate change, carbon sequestration, stormwater management, erosion control, sustainable forage production, and decreasing wildlife and pollinator populations are all connected to healthy functioning native plant communities. As land development and fragmentation increase, we must be able to restore and enhance these valuable plant communities as opportunities arise. A large part of that capability is the reliable supply of native seeds.

Native farmer field meeting.jpg
Roundstone grass planting with audubon staff.JPG

How Roundstone Helps

​Roundstone brings people together to work toward the common goal of native plant conservation and development.  By developing a network of growers Roundstone can supply regionally appropriate seeds to meet the needs of an ever-increasing demand.  This effort takes a puzzle approach with growers, suppliers, non-profits government agency and many other pieces working together to complete the picture.  Roundstone is just one piece of the puzzle and is working hard to serve its community locally and using its successes to help abroad. Roundstone not only wants its efforts to benefit the native plant communities it works in but the local communities that surround them. Contact us today to see how we can work together, we are here to serve.

Where We're Working

We currently cover a large area, but we are always looking for more collectors, more growers, and more diversity of native species to include in our mixes. For more information about projects and partnerships in your region, please email sales@roundstoneseed.com.

Tedford and Me.jpg

Other Partner and Projects in REAP

 

  • Audubon Delta

  • Texas Native Seeds Program

  • North Carolina Botanical Gardens

  • United States Forest Service

  • USDA-NRCS- East Texas Plant Materials Center

  • Fish and Wildlife Service

  • The Jones Ecological Research Center at Ichauway

  • Mississippi State University

  • The Nature Conservancy

  • Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center

  • Longleaf Alliance

  • Southeastern Grasslands Institute

  • The Native Habitat Project

  • Fort Campbell

  • National Wild Turkey Federation

  • Grandview Farms

Theobald, D. M., et al. "Loss and fragmentation of natural lands in the conterminous US from 2001 to 2017." The Center for American Progress and Conservation Science Partners. URL https://www.csp-inc. org/public/CSP Disappearing US Exec Summary 11819 (2019).

 

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. An Assessment of Native Seed Needs and the Capacity for Their Supply: Final Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26618.

 

Pedrini, Simone, et al. "Collection and production of native seeds for ecological restoration." Restoration Ecology 28 (2020): S228-S238.


The authors of an article in the August 2020 issue of Restoration Ecology concluded that, “Multiplication of native seeds under cultivated production settings should replace or supplement collection from natural populations, whenever feasible, as it reduces impact on natural populations and allows for higher productivity, improved quality, reliability, and reduced seed cost.” 

bottom of page