Seeds of success: a conservation and restoration investment in the future of US lands

Seeds of Success (SOS) is a national seed collection program led by the
Bureau of Land Management. SOS represents the most comprehensive native
seed repository in the US, supporting native plant restoration,
management, and research. Since inception in 2000, SOS has collected seeds
from over 24,400 native plant populations from ~5,600 taxa from 43 states.
Collections include species important to wildlife, pollinators, and
indigenous people, and over 10,000 collections have been shared for
restoration and research use. We asked how many SOS sites have burned
since collection, and identified 662 fires at 631 sites. If fire continues
at the pace observed since 2011, an estimated 14% of collection sites will
burn by 2050 and over 24% by 2080, putting genetic diversity at risk in
areas where fire is linked with invasion. Analysis of 14 native forb
species from the western US found that many collections were from the
warmest and driest portions of their range, areas at the highest risk of
wildfire, subsequent invasion, and local extinction. SOS provides an
opportunity to understand change in natural populations, and represents a
critical repository of native plant genetic resources for conservation and
future use.