Native Seed Shortage Hampers Nevada, Utah Wildfire Recovery

High demand for native plant seeds in Nevada and Utah is pushing up the price and leaving short supplies following an extreme wildfire year that burned millions of acres nationally.

In the Great Basin of Nevada and Utah, reseeding after wildfires has grown increasingly difficult, due to drought, saline soils and invasive species such as cheat grass. Some agencies are reporting a significant lack of seed on the market this year, particularly for sagebrush.

Ed Kleiner of commercial seed distributor Comstock Seed tells the Reno Gazette-Journal for a story that it’s the most extreme fluctuation in demand and availability he’s seen in 24 years in business.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire