Alaska Plant Materials Center | Division of Agriculture

Chapter 4: Plant Evaluation

Initial Evaluation and Increase

“Initial evaluation” is the process of doing quantitative and qualitative measurements and comparisons between a number of collections of the same species of plants. The process usually occurs at a single location and can last for three to five years.

The Alaska Plant Materials Center conducts initial evaluations at Palmer. Thousands of collections have been evaluated since the Plant Materials Center’s establishment in 1973.

Figure 25: A typical initial evaluation plot, the 1979 grasses evaluation plot at the Plant Materials Center.

Figure 26: After one winter and another full growing season the 1979 plot has fewer surviving accessions.

Figure 27: After two winters and another growing season the 1979 plot looks even more depleted in 1981.

After initial evaluation it is necessary to increase the amount of seed in the inventory of those species selected for advance testing.

Figure 28: After initial evaluation it is necessary to increase the amount of seed in the inventory of those species selected for advance testing. This photograph is of one initial increase plot at the Plant Materials Center.

Following the initial evaluation process, collections that have performed the best are placed in “initial increase”. This process allows for seed increase so the best material can be tested or evaluated elsewhere in Alaska under varied conditions.

Advanced Evaluation Plots

Following the initial evaluation and subsequent increase of revegetation materials at the Plant Materials Center, the best performers are planted into advanced evaluation plots in locales ranging from Tok to Shemya and Ketchikan to Prudhoe Bay. These plots are developed with specific purposes in mind. For example, a plot intended to measure performance for mine reclamation would be treated differently than a plot measuring adaptation to grazing by livestock. Also, these plots allow for evaluation across the broad geographical and topographic conditions found in Alaska. For detailed results of evaluations performed at these plots, established for more than two decades by the Plant Materials Center, please refer to the publications listed at the end of this section.

Figure 29: An advanced evaluation plot on a mine site near Nome.

Figure 30: Another advanced evaluation plot on the Arctic coast.

Figure 31: An advanced evaluation plot on a mine site located in Interior Alaska.

Figure 32: Interior Alaska Highway advanced evaluation plot.

Publications Associated With Initial and Advanced Evaluations

Moore, Nancy J. 1986. Final Report for the Bank Revegetation Program, Bethel Small Boat Harbor. State of Alaska, Division of Agriculture, Plant Materials Center. 13 pp.

Moore, Nancy J. 1987. Final Report for Evaluation of Conservation Species at Fort Richardson, 1983–1986. State of Alaska, Division of Agriculture, Plant Materials Center. 13 pp.

Moore, Nancy J. 1994. Final Report–Green’s Creek Mine Revegetation Test Plantings. State of Alaska, Division of Agriculture, Plant Materials Center. 10 pp.

Wright, Stoney J. 1987. Final Report of Initial and Advanced Conservation Plantings at Ruby, Alaska, 1984–1986. State of Alaska, Division of Agriculture, Plant Materials Center. 16 pp.

Wright, Stoney J. 1987. Final Report on Evaluation of Advanced Herbaceous Conservation Species at Usibelli Coal Mine, Healy, Alaska, 1983–1986. State of Alaska, Division of Agriculture, Plant Materials Center. 13 pp.

Wright, Stoney J. 1987. Final Report on Demonstration and Advanced Conservation Plantings at Kalsin Bay, Kodiak, Alaska, 1982–1986. State of Alaska, Division of Agriculture, Plant Materials Center. 18 pp.

Wright, Stoney J. 1987. Evaluation of Conservation Species at Premier Coal Mine Near Palmer, Alaska, 1983–1986. State of Alaska, Division of Agriculture, Plant Materials Center. 14 pp.

Wright, Stoney J. 1988. Final Report of Advanced Conservation Grasses at Terror Lake Hydro Electric Project, Kodiak, Alaska. State of Alaska, Division of Agriculture, Plant Materials Center. 13 pp.

Wright, Stoney J. 1988. Final Report on Evaluations of Advanced Herbaceous Conservation Species at Diamond Alaska Test Pits Near Tyonek, Alaska, 1983–1987. State of Alaska, Division of Agriculture, Plant Materials Center. 13 pp.

Wright, Stoney J. 1989. Final Report of Data and Observations Obtained From the Chena Flood Control Project Evaluation Plots Located Near North Pole, Alaska. State of Alaska, Division of Agriculture, Plant Materials Center. 14 pp.

Wright, Stoney J. 1989. Final Report of Data Obtained From the Fairbanks Evaluation Plots and Demonstration Plots. State of Alaska, Division of Agriculture, Plant Materials Center. 12 pp.
Wright, Stoney J. 1989. Final Report on Data and Observations Obtained From the 2C Access Spur and Mine Site D Herbaceous Evaluation Plots Located in the Kuparuk Unit. State of Alaska, Division of Agriculture, Plant Materials Center. 11 pp.

Wright, Stoney J. 1990. Final Report on Data and Observations Obtained From the Red Dog Mine Evaluation and Demonstration Plots. State of Alaska, Division of Agriculture, Plant Materials Center. 16 pp.

Wright, Stoney J. 1990. Final Report on Data and Observations Obtained From the Delta Bison Range Evaluation Plan, 1986–1989. State of Alaska, Division of Agriculture, Plant Materials Center. 11 pp.

Wright, Stoney J. 1990. Final Report on Initial Evaluation Plantings at the Kenny Lake Evaluation Plots, 1980–1989. State of Alaska, Division of Agriculture, Plant Materials Center. 18 pp.

Wright, Stoney J. 1993. Final Report on the Evaluation of Herbaceous Species at Three Gold Mines Near Nome, Alaska, 1989–1992. State of Alaska, Division of Agriculture, Plant Materials Center. 10 pp.

Department of Natural Resources Division of Agriculture

State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources