Registration Eligibility
Tuesday, 05/04/2021; 11-Noon
Registration required,
Contact: Joseph.Disponzio@parks.nyc.gov
Subject line: LA CES DPR CES 108 / Seed Resource
Start Date
05/04/2021
End Date
05/04/2021
Description
Seed is a critical natural resource in need of the same careful management and use as any other natural resource such as timber or oil. By seed I mean that which is collected from wild plant populations to fuel the native plant material supply chain. For as long as we’ve used nursery-produced native plant materials for creation, management, and restoration of those ecosystems under our care, we have sourced and exploited wild harvested seed to meet our needs. How we source and deploy that seed in the natural landscape has significant consequences for the long-term health and sustainability of both the source populations and our managed ecosystems.
New York City Parks’ Greenbelt Native Plant Center is the nation’s oldest and largest municipally owned and operated native plant nursery. GNPC Director Ed Toth will discuss the science behind our production practices and will discuss the regional, national, and global effort to rationalize the native plant material supply chain in order to ensure a sustainable supply of locally-adapted native plant materials (NPMs) to meet society’s needs now and into the future, efforts made all the more imperative by the challenges of climate change.
Distance Learning
Yes
Course Equivalency
No
Subjects
Horticulture / Plants
Parks & Recreation
Sustainable Development & Design
Health, Safety and Welfare
Yes
Hours
1.0
Learning Outcomes
Participants will learn:
• The importance of local plant populations as the source of evolutionary adaptation to local environmental conditions
• The negative genetic consequences of using non-local, maladapted seed sources for nursery production
• The science of determining seed transfer zones and the tools available to select appropriate source materials as well as the current limitations.
• The elements that make up Native Plant Material Development (NPMFD) and a new paradigm to deliver locally-source Native Plant Materials (NPMs).
• Regional, national and global efforts to address problems and offer solutions to the current state of the native plant material supply chain.
Instructors
Edward Toth, Director, NYC Parks Greenbelt Native Plant Center
Course Codes
NYC Parks & Rec. LA CES DPR CES 108
Provider
NYC Parks & Recreation Department