Three Varieties of Native Alaskan Grasses for Revegetation Purposes

Abstract

Management objectives of some revegetation plantings encourage the use of native species. Where reinstatement of a native flora is desired, the inclusion of suitable native materials can hasten the process. Further, properly adapted native plants may provide a persistent, winterhardy cover requiring little management. The use of poorly adapted introduced grasses can result in stand decimation, such as that experienced along southcentral Alaska’s roadsides after the severe winter of 1975-1976 (Klebesadel, 1977). Tests have revealed, however, that not all indigenous materials are suitable for revegetation purposes. Some have been insufficiently winterhardy for general use, as apparently their ability to persist in their native habitat is related to the particular set of conditions in which they occur. Susceptibility to diseases or failure to persist well in a dense stand militates against the use of certain native types. Growth form also must be considered. If the objective of a planting is to maintain a fairly uniform , turf-like growth, then tall, coarse-growing plants should be avoided. Patience is required in the use of native plants in that their seedling vigor is often low compared to that of m any commercially available cultivars, and the natives may be suppressed when seeded along with more vigorous cultivars. The investigations on revegetation in conjunction with the Prudhoe Bay oil field and trans- Alaska pipeline activities have resulted in the release o f three cultivars derived from indigenous Alaskan materials. Many o f the collections for these cultivars were made prior to 1969 and some date back to 1966. The establishment of this material in small nurseries at the Palmer Experiment Station prior to the oil field activity enabled seed to be obtained for the early testing programs. The three cultivars were developed primarily for revegetation purposes and are particularly important to arctic rehabilitation efforts (Mitchell, 1978) where the need for additional material is most pressing. One cultivar, Tundra, is recommended strictly for arctic use. The other two, Alyeska and Sourdough, can be applied throughout mainland Alaska in appropriate situations. The latter two may also have application as forage grasses in areas where other available materials may be poorly adapted.