***The following are notes taken at the subcommittee meeting on March 5, 2007 which ran from about 9am-12pm. Please send comments and questions to Jessica@plumascounty.org or call 283-3739.

Revegetation Subcommittee Objectives: to improve vegetative cover in project areas for erosion control, noxious weed control and improving riparian habitat

Ø Holly George requested ideas for revegetating irrigated/seasonally-inundated farms

FR-CRM revegetation needs

Ø Jim Wilcox reported that CRM has been including supplemental seeding efforts in the restoration project contracts since 2001

Ø Overall, revegetation of CRM’s meadow restoration projects has been going well, involving seeding and the use of topsoil over plugs. Mostly perennials are being seeded since they tend to root first. It usually takes about five years for a restoration project to establish the ideal amount of revegetation.

Ø In response to a suggestion to use brush matting as biotechnical erosion control, Jim Wilcox responded that in our project areas, there is not a lot of donor material, but where there is, FR-CRM uses brush matting, especially for rehabilitation projects that are restricted to working within the channel. However, transplanting brush does not fare well when transported long distances in the heat.

Ø FR-CRM’s revegetation needs include labor for collecting and spreading seed on restoration projects, particularly the larger projects. Current restoration efforts also include staking or digging trench packs for willow cuttings.

Ø Previous volunteers have included Jim Beckwourth Continuation High School students and FRC students, among others. However, seed collection occurs during the summer.

Ø FR-CRM has a need for propagating native grass/tree plugs to revegetate areas where moisture is an issue.

Ø Gary Romano recommended transplanting sedges in the fall using a core plugger, after cutting the sedges low to the ground. In the fall, sedges are dormant and the plugs can be transplanted from thicker areas to the revegetation area, similar to thinning a tree stand.

FR-CRM projects with revegetation priorities:

Ø Dyrr Bank: Terry Benoit said that it would be helpful to plant pine trees and cedar near the top of the bank for stabilization and insert willow trench packs by hand along the edge of the channel to prevent erosion. Once the bank is stabilized, other species such as Alder will seed in. Aspen and cottonwood need some help getting established.

§ Idea of using RAC funding upstream on different project areas, such as 2 meadow valley projects: Silver Creek and Spanish Creek

§ Rooted woody plants: cottonwoods and spyrea

Ø Hosselkus (part PNF)

§ Difficult site to revegetate because of lack of moisture & rocky plugs

§ Terry would like to plant cottonwoods and ponderosa pine on plugs during the wet time April-May, while taking into account potential deer browse

v June 26, 2007 Field Trip with the Reveg. Subcommittee to CRM projects with revegetation needs in the Last Chance watershed:

***Dan Martynn offered to help with revegetation efforts on Ferris Creek. He said that he could get a couple of people to help pull bull thistle in a collaborative effort. After the 3^rd week of June

v Lower Priority CRM revegetation projects:

Ø Clarks (all PNF): needs evaluation, plug seeding, additional revegetation work? Would PNF botanists like to evaluate it with other subcommittee volunteers?

Ø Big Flat (all PNF): willow cuttings & more revegetation

Ø Ward Creek: planting seedlings April-May with deer browse protection

Ø Chester Park (Plumas County)

Ø Stone Dairy (all PNF)

v The issue of grazing pressure on past CRM projects was discussed

Ø Matley, Jordan Flat, Dooley Creek and Red Clover are reported to have grazing pressure

Ø Most CRM projects have exclosures or are in existing pastures that has been taken out of the grazing rotation. FR-CRM designs EAs that have grazing management plans, but the problem is their violation, such as landowner permittees’ failure fix broken fences. Holly George said that some permitees are not contacted by people doing the monitoring and asserted the need to contact the Permittee Association instead of just relying on the range conservationist.

Ø Trout Unlimited (TU) is doing start of the year and mid-year assessments

Develop local partners and infrastructure

v Quincy High School ROP program: Tamsen Deforest has 72 students enrolled in 2 plant science classes, 2 animal science classes and 1 Intro. to Agriculture class at Quincy H.S.

Ø ROP has funding for transporting students to and from the FRC greenhouse, but finding enough qualified drivers, or available bus drivers, is a problem. Tamsen has access to vans that can hold about 6-7 people.

v FRC Greenhouse Update: Intro Biology – botany section (Anna Thomson) and a Student Enterprise vermiculture project (Amy Shultz) may be using the greenhouse. Michelle Fulton, FRC forestry professor, is interested in running a couple of labs for the forestry class in the greenhouse concerning seedling propagation. FRC’s environmental studies program (Darla DeRuiter head) may also be interested in native grass propagation

Ø The greenhouse has a watering system on a timer, but it needs to be repaired.

Ø The heater is no longer connected to the propane tank.

Ø Recommendation to tell the college that people in the community have a need to use the greenhouse.

v Sierra Valley Nursery: Gary Romano said that he has a problem acquiring enough summertime labor for nursery work. Gary said that he would be interested in hosting high school or college interns at the Sierra Valley nursery in the summertime, where he could provide training and the students could earn course credits/units. He is also interested in providing some work experience for students in the winter.

Ø An idea was proposed for Gary Romano to teach a course on native plant gardening at FRC

v Feather River RCD & Sierra Valley RCD :

Ø FR RCD has a wetland mitigation project in Crescent Mills that could partner in the revegetation program since they need native grass plugs for the mitigation efforts

§ The idea was proposed to ask FR RCD if they want to purchase a hand-held seed stripper, which costs about $1600, as a more cost effective means of collecting seeds around revegetation sites.

v US Forest Service

Ø Idea was proposed for CRM to set up a time with the USFS program manager (Joe Hoffman, George Garcia) to give some input on seed collection, revegetation, and noxious weed control & see how they can work together

Ø With HFQLG, USFS can throw money at projects for revegetation and noxious weed control and get credit

Ø Jim Belsher-Howe and Tina Hopkins offered to be the USFS point people for revegetation on projects that benefit federal forest lands.

Ø Plumas National Forest had 4 seed zones for native grasses, so they have a need to develop a larger seed bank

v Other Partners: Feather River Land Trust, CA DF&G, CDG, CalTrans

Ø Potential to cooperate for seeding cashing/seed bank: USFS, CA DF&G and CDF have an interest in cashing out native plant seed that they can use for wildfire revegetation

Ø A bumper crop year is a good time to collect and develop seed stock/bank; preservestore seeds out of direct sunlight

v Seed Collecting and Propagating specs:

Ø Timing for native grass propagation using a greenhouse: collect seed June-Sept so that you can get the seeds germinating by Sept/Oct and they can root out and then go dormant through the winter, then fire up again in the Spring. It is better to plant grass plugs in wet ground, such as a rewatered valley in April. Native grass propagation requires collecting seed one year prior to transplanting plugs.

Ø Timing for seed collection and spreading in the field: spread seed August-September so that they will germinate and root in the banks and then go dormant through the winter.

Ø Gary commented that you can collect as much seed as you need for plug propogation in one day if you are not broadcast seeding, since in each plug, you add 1-3 seeds and you space each plug 6”-1’ in the field.

Ø Tina has about a 90% success rate with well rooted willow and alder plug survival.

Ø Gary Romano sells tree seedling plugs that range in price from 25-40 cents/plug. He also sells native grass plugs. Sedges take longer and need lots of water, though they do take hold faster. If you plant too late in the fall, there is no root establishment. Then when high flows hit, they are washed away, or during the winter, the freeze can pop the plugs out of the ground. Therefore, it is a good idea to collect sedges in the fall and establish them in the spring.

Ø Tina recommended using coconut fiber erosion cloth (that she purchases from Bioscapes). She seeds underneath the cloth and then pokes holes through the cloth with an augur to plant seedlings, then pins the erosion cloth down with big staples. The erosion cloth helps hold in soil moisture for seed germination.

v Funding the revegetation program

Ø Possibility to use some of $3800 for Dyrr Bank revegetation and some of the additional $7000 Spanish Creek RAC funding for vegetation work in Meadow Valley or elsewhere in Spanish Creek watershed

Ø No supervisorial approval is needed for requests for funds to CDF&G for less than $500 for a project that will benefit public and private lands

Ø Perhaps the college can help fund heating the facility in the winter.

Ø Title III grant: Capacity Building program for native grass and plant revegetation program To revegetate native grass in Plumas County

§ couple thousand for nursery seed propogation training from Gary

Ø Will require labor and equipment (hoes & scythes) in collecting seed, planting, and weeding in the field

Ø Idea to develop a seed bank for USFS, CalTrans, CA DF&G, CDF

Ø Terry Benoit suggested looking into USFS native plant material grants

Ø Idea for the students to hold a tree seedling sale to help cover nursery costs

Other Greenhouse Collaboration/Training Ideas:

Ø Cal Poly, Pomona – has an horticulture/gardening internship to send trained students to start programs in other areas

Ø Chico State may have a horticulture program too

Ø California Communities Program through UC Davis will hire a student for $10-11/hr to work for the community in return for a deliverable such as training

Ø Idea of starting a Master Gardener course in Plumas County during the summertime, using existing UC curriculum

§ Revegetation and seedling growth can be worked in to the non-academic training program

Ø Elizabeth Powell is running a community garden on the Thompson Valley Ranch

Ø Reno, Nevada Cooperative extension has a certified nursery program that costs about $90 for and 8-week training session

Developing a revegetation plan for Plumas County

v In developing revegetation plans, it would be helpful to answer the following questions:

Ø When should the revegetation occur?

Ø Who should do it?

Ø What is a successful project? Who will review the project?

v To establish revegetation standards:

Ø It is a good idea to set upfront goals, such as what percent vegetation cover would we like to see in the first, second, and third year post-project construction.

Ø Jim Belsher-Howe recommended developing a standard for the revegetation efforts on all projects (i.e. 20% base of seedling plantings and then let the species propagate themselves)

Ø look at better & lesser performing projects and timeline

Ø keep monitoring reports tracking the success of revegetation growth

v Terry Benoit suggested that the revegetation subcommittee members should evaluate restoration projects during the TAC reviews of each project.

v Find out what the needs of stakeholders in the community are in terms of revegetation:

Ø Gary Romano, Sierra Valley Nursery

Ø FRC classes & administration

Ø NRCS, Feather River Land Trust, FR RCD, SVRCD

Ø FR-CRM restoration projects

Ø Agencies such as USFS, CA DF&G, CDF and their revegetation needs following wildfires or construction projects (CalTrans)

Ø Assess the capacity of the interested parties to help in revegetation efforts

MARK YOUR CALENDAR:

v Field visit & work trips scheduled for June 26^th on the Last Chance Watershed sites and July 10^th to evaluate Red Clover and pull noxious weeds

v Next Revegetation Subcommittee Meeting: Monday, May 7, 2007 at 9 am at the Plumas Corporation office, 550 Crescent St. at the airport in Quincy