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Bridger Plant Materials Center: Economic Impact Fact Sheet

“The plant materials program and its cooperators have contributed the bulk of the material and technology now used in ecosystem restoration and are our foundation for meeting conservation challenges of the future.”

D. T. Booth and T. A. Jones, Plants for Ecological Restoration: a foundation and philosophy for the future. In: Native Plants Journal, Spring, 2001

Seed and Plant Production – What is it Worth?

The sale of seed and plants represents a significant economic value to growers, distributors, and retailers. The following table summarizes the annual 2001 commercial seed and plant production and the value of 254 plant releases nationwide, including 11 plant releases from the Bridger, Montana, Plant Materials Center (PMC).

2001 Commercial Seed and Plant Production
Type Amount (lbs) Released from All PMCs Annual Value of Releases from All PMCs Amount (lbs) Released from Bridger PMC Annual Value of Releases from Bridger PMC
Certified Seed 10,130,407 $51,508,231 2,541,608 $9,755,643
Common Seed 8,675,177 $31,982,063 695,000 $2,348,600
All Plants 22,661,804 $9,938,446 2,850 $2,394
Total Annual Value   $93,428,740   $12,106,637

Conservation Benefits – What is the Value?

Plant Materials Program releases are used to address a wide variety of conservation needs throughout the U.S. and beyond our borders. Based on the annual commercial sales during the year 2001, it is estimated that Plant Materials Program releases had the following impact:

  • enough seed to plant 3.7 million acres
  • enough plants to revegetate 21,167 acres
  • enough trees and shrubs to plant a row 2,180 miles long
  • in all, Plant Materials Program releases would cover an area three times the size of Delaware

Technology Development – Who Uses It?

Private landowners, NRCS field offices, federal and state land management agencies and various conservation partners benefit from the more than 400 plant releases available and the associated plant science technology. Nearly 75 percent of the releases listed in the NRCS Field Office Technical Guide are from the Plant Materials Program.

For More Information

Visit the Plant Materials Program web site to get more information about the Bridger Plant Materials Center.

The above information is also available in a printer-friendly version. This document requires Adobe Acrobat.

Bridger Plant Materials Center: Economic Impact (PDF; 228 KB)

Last Modified: 11/16/2005