Native Plant Initiative

Originally, the landscape in the Northern Great Plains was dense and diverse with native grasses and forbs (wildflowers). However, many areas in the Northern Great Plains are now degraded due to natural and anthropogenic causes such as, but not limited to, invasive species and saline/sodic soils. Historically, native vegetation management involved removing invasive species from areas dominated native plants or restoring small degraded areas. Now, our grasslands are so full of invasive plants and such large areas are degraded that restoration is a much more difficult endeavor. We are restoring native plants into areas dominated by invasive species and restoring expanses of degraded land. This new reality requires a more thorough understanding of native plant restoration and production than currently exists for native plants of the Northern Great Plains.

The Native Plant Initiative is sponsored by the Department of Natural Resource Management (NRM), the Department of Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Sciences (AHPS) and the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES). This Initiative is led by Dr. Lora Perkins in the Department of Natural Resource Management.

Mission

To conduct research, education and outreach to support excellence in native plant restoration and production for the Northern Great Plains

Vision

• To produce rigorous, innovative, and reliable data-driven science to inform native plant restoration and production.
• To disseminate this information to the scientific community, stakeholders, public and private land managers and the public.
• To engage students at every level (K-12, undergraduate and graduate) in our research and outreach activities.