NATIVE PLANT TRUST INC

CONSERVATION - OUR WORK WITH RARE AND ENDANGERED PLANTS INCLUDED RARE PLANT MONITORING AND DEMOGRAPHIC STUDY, SEED BANKING AND GERMINATION RESEARCH, INVASIVE SPECIES REMOVAL, FIELD WORK, AND IN SITU RESTORATION. WORK ON THE NEXT EDITION OF "FLORA CONSERVANDA", A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT ON PLANT CONSERVATION PRIORITIES IN NEW ENGLAND CONTINUED WITH AN ANTICIPATED PUBLICATION DATE IN LATE 2024/EARLY 2025. THIS REPORT IS CREATED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ORGANIZATION'S NEW ENGLAND PLANT CONSERVATION PROGRAM PARTNERS INCLUDING THE SIX STATE NATURAL HERITAGE PROGRAMS. IN 2023, 280 TRAINED PLANT CONSERVATION VOLUNTEERS SPENT 5,530 HOURS CONDUCTING 555 SURVEYS FOR RARE PLANTS. THE DATABASE WILL ALSO MAKE IT EASIER TO TRANSFER INFORMATION TO PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS. OVER 600,000 SEEDS, REPRESENTING 85 ACCESSIONS OF 68 GLOBALLY RARE OR IMPERILED SPECIES WITH A HIGH RISK OF EXTINCTION, WERE ADDED TO THE RARE SEED BANK. CONSERVATION STAFF AUGMENTED POPULATIONS OF THE GLOBALLY RARE JESUP'S MILK VETCH (ASTRAGALUS ROBBINSII VAR. JESUPII) AS WELL AS POPULATIONS OF ANNUAL ROSE GENTIAN (SABATIA STELLARIS) WITH TRANSPLANTS.

HORTICULTURE - THE HORTICULTURE PROGRAM, BASED AT GARDEN IN THE WOODS AND NASAMI FARM, FOCUS ON THE MANAGEMENT OF GARDEN IN THE WOODS, ECOLOGICAL HORTICULTURE, AND THE PRODUCTION OF NATIVE NEW ENGLAND PLANTS. GARDEN IN THE WOODS WELCOMED 16,600 VISITORS IN ITS 6 MONTH OPEN SEASON. NEW BRIDGES WERE INSTALLED OVER HOP BROOK BRIDGE THANKS TO MASS CULTURAL COUNCIL AND A GENEROUS DONOR. HORTICULTURAL STAFF ADDED 14,725 PLANTS AND 62 SPECIES TO THE GARDEN IN 2023, ALL GROWN FROM SEED58% OF THESE WERE SOURCED FROM WILD POPULATIONS WITH PERMISSION FROM LANDOWNERS. PILOT SEED PRODUCTION PLOTS WERE ESTABLISHED FOR 5 COMMON NATIVE PLANT SPECIES THAT ARE IN HIGH DEMAND IN THE RESTORATION AND HORTICULTURE TRADE AS PART OF THE WORK WITH THE NORTHEAST SEED NETWORK. CONSTRUCTION WAS COMPLETED ON A SEED PROCESSING QUONSET AND CONSTRUCTION BEGAN ON A WALK-IN SEED STORAGE COOLER/FREEZER. NURSERY STAFF AT NASAMI FARM PRODUCED OVER 61,000 PLANTS FROM SEED INCLUDING 48,000 FOR RETAIL SALES AND CONTRACTED GROWS.