When reclaiming land, it’s important to collect samples of native species from the area so that future replanting and rec efforts can closely match the state of the ecosystem before disturbance.
In a recent project, I was collecting seeds for this purpose. We made sure to take seeds from the same species over a wide area so that we can have enough genetic variance. We also had to be careful to make sure to pull from different patches as this plant was a cloning species, meaning one entire patch could have the same DNA.
After cleaning the seeds, we deliver them to a nursery where the plants can be cloned and nurtured, then frozen in preparation to be transported and planted. This connects very well to my post here showcasing the replanting stage of the reclamation process.
We also found lots of other interesting unrelated flora and fauna.
Jaron Wiigs 