Something groundbreaking is happening at Grant Woods Forest Preserve in Ingleside. Pati Vitt, manager of restoration ecology at the Lake County Forest Preserves, has launched a research project designed to restore 180 acres of former farmland within the preserve using a climate-adapted, regionally sourced native seed mix. 

The Growing Through Change project is supported by grants through the Preservation Foundation, the charitable partner of the Lake County Forest Preserves. These include a $1.1 million private donation and a $216,000 grant from the Wildlife Conservation Society Climate Adaptation Fund, which is made possible through the generous support of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

The goal of the project is to learn how to cultivate and restore resilient native landscapes with plants that can withstand a shifting climate. The project will also engage seed producers, conservation organizations, neighbors, volunteers, and landowners to build and sustain a demand for climate-adapted seed.

“The secret to cultivating native plants that are able to withstand the effects of climate change may lie in a seed's ability to adapt to its regional provenance,” Vitt said. “Regional provenance is the geographic home or habitat where seed is sown, and where plants mature and produce more seeds over time."

To test this, Vitt will plant seeds from different sources: those from close to home and others from as far south as Kentucky. “We want to see how seeds obtained from different sources grow, how the plants fare and how they survive a period of rapid environmental change,” Vitt said. Illinois’ climate is predicted to be similar to Oklahoma's by the year 2050 and that of Texas by 2080, she said. Vitt, who has been studying the effects of climate change on native seeds and plant populations for 15 years, obtained seeds that came from grasses and plants, including little bluestem and black-eyed Susan, growing nearby as well as from Illinois and Kentucky.

“The project will help increase habitat connectivity, ensure long-term resilience, and establish a new market for climate-adapted seed for our region,” said Angelo Kyle, president of the Lake County Forest Preserves. “We can prepare for rapid changes, both known and unknown, and ensure our natural lands are more resilient in the face of a changing climate.”

Forest Preserve crews will prepare the fields in early December. A third of the fields will be planted with seeds sourced from local native plants. The rest will be planted with seeds of the same plants from northern, central and southern Illinois locations, as well as Kentucky. Gray-headed coneflower, wild bergamot and purple coneflower seeds will also be planted. “The goal of planting in December is to provide eight to 12 weeks of ideal cold/wet conditions for the seeds to germinate,” Vitt said. Hedgerows and woody invasive species will be cleared in winter 2020-21. In spring and summer 2021, forb seeding will occur and drain tiles will be removed. "We will continuously monitor the plants to study how they adapt to change across typical boundaries as they grow," she said.

“The project will demonstrate if adaptability strategies using source-identified seeds from more southern and distant regions, coupled with hydrological restoration, are as successful or more successful than standard sourcing strategies,” Vitt said. The research is necessary to preserve plant vitality and protect native ecosystems, she said. “We will then establish data-driven guidelines that are more explicitly climate-adapted.”

“I’m very excited about this project and its potential to inform commerce on a national level,” Vitt said. “The Growing Through Change project is another example of the Lake County Forest Preserves commitment to its community, and to regional issues of climate importance,” she said.

To track progress of the Growing Through Change project, follow @LCFPD on social media or check online at LCFPD.org/conservation-projects.
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Courtesy of Lake County Forest Preserves
The Growing Through Change project is taking place at Grant Woods Forest Preserve in Ingleside. 


Pati Vitt, manager of restoration ecology at the Lake County Forest Preserves, launched a research project to restore 180 acres of former farmland.