Wolk celebrates state, local partnership for Putah Creek restoration

Davis–Assemblywoman Lois Wolk (D-Davis) welcomed an announcement today that the Lower Putah Creek Coordinating Committee has been given permission to grow native plants for Putah Creek restoration projects at the state’s L.A. Moran Reforestation Center in Davis.

“This is great news.  It provides a big boost to local habitat restoration and breathes new life into the reforestation center,” said Wolk, Chair of the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee and a long-time supporter of Putah Creek preservation efforts.

“I’m very pleased to see an increase in the utilization of this valuable facility for the production of native plants for the restoration of Putah Creek,” said California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) Director Ruben Grijalva.  “Protection and enhancement of watersheds has long been an important part of CAL FIRE’s mission.”

The nursery at the reforestation center, which partially closed in 2003 due to budget cuts, will open its doors to the Lower Putah Creek Coordinating Committee (LPCCC) and its partners: Putah Creek Council and U.C. Davis Chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology in time for plantings in spring 2008. Utilizing volunteer labor and privately-supplied materials, the groups aim to grow 10,000 native trees and 50,000 plugs of native grass for the 2008-2009 planting season using a 20 x 50’ greenhouse and approximately 10,000 square feet of adjacent shade house.

Owned and operated by CAL FIRE, the 40-acre facility has the capacity to produce hundreds of thousands of forest tree seedlings each year.  The facility also houses the State Seed Bank which has continued operations during this period, processing cones and seed for storage in the bank and for growing into seedlings at CAL FIRE’s Magalia Reforestation Center.

“While we will only be using a small fraction of the reforestation center, the space will result in a huge increase in native plant production focused on Putah Creek,” said Rich Marovich, Putah Creek Streamkeeper. “Of course the growing space was our initial concern, but soil mixing and automated container filling equipment will greatly increase our efficiency. Best of all, we are learning mass production techniques from state experts. Plus, local production allows us to propagate Putah Creek strains of native plants that are best adapted to our climate and soils.”

 “Native grasses are the key to controlling erosion and restoring a weed-resistant landscape,” said Putah Creek Council Executive Director Dawn Calciano, who has overseen tremendous growth in the Adopt-A-Flat program, where schools and community volunteers grow and plant flats of native grasses from seed. “We look forward to expanding the Adopt-A-Flat program with the additional growing space at the state’s nursery.”

Jim Thorne, a landscape ecologist working at the University of California, Davis has been sprouting acorns in his dining room and laundry room for several years and struggled to find growing space for a thousand seedlings he started this year.

“Oaks are the most important native tree for California wildlife,” said Thorne. “The UC Davis chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology has been increasing oak production each year for the past 5 years and we were running out of space.  The shade houses at the state nursery are ideal for raising oak seedlings.”

“Our nursery program staff is excited to have this collaboration bring new activity and production to our facility, which is not currently being utilized to its full potential” said Stephen Jones, CAL FIRE Deputy Chief for Forestry Assistance Programs.  CAL FIRE Director Grijalva noted that he is hopeful that the Legislature will support the Governor’s budget proposal to use Proposition 84 bond funds to restart conifer tree seedling production at the Reforestation Center as a part of CAL FIRE’s efforts to address climate change.