In Nevada, this native plant nursery aids wildland restoration efforts

The only place in the world where the endangered Steamboat buckwheat grows is on 150 acres split by Hwy. 395 and a geothermal company in south Washoe County.

When the 500-acre Petrilla Fire broke out in the Pleasant Valley area south of Reno last June, threatening the plant, a forester with the Nevada Division of Forestry rushed to the site to retrieve multiple buckwheat plants that had been impacted by fire suppression efforts.

The plants were transported to the Washoe State Tree Nursery in Washoe Valley, where native trees and shrubs are propagated for conservation and restoration purposes around the state.

Now, the buckwheat grows alongside dozens of other native trees, shrubs and flowers used to help restore degraded property after severe drought and wildfire. 

“The purpose of the nursery isn’t to compete with businesses,” said Ben Klink, natural resource program manager at the Department of Forestry, the agency operating the nursery. Instead, the focus is on helping landowners and public land agencies with restoration and fire prevention efforts.

The nursery only grows plants and trees that are native or adapted to the challenging Northern Nevada climate. Forget traditional nursery staples like lilies and roses; the Washoe nursery tends to plants like milkweed, saltbrush, hackberry and sedge.

These plants are adapted to the area and are more resilient to drought, invasive species, wildfire and extreme temperatures, according to NDF. They also help suppress invasive plants such as cheatgrass.

The plants are available, at a cost, to groups and agencies doing conservation work, as well as private landowners who own at least one acre outside city limits.  

The trees and shrubs are started from seed and sold in all sizes – from a few inches to multiple feet tall. Growing in windy Washoe Valley, the plants are adapted to gusty conditions, according to Amy Bray, conservation aid with NDF.

“They should have named it ‘Windy Valley,’” Bray joked.

Sheila Hlubucek, who lives in a high-wind area off Mt. Rose Highway, learned about the nursery from a friend. She used the nursery to replace dead sagebrush and bitter brush on her 2.5-acre flower farm.

She used plants like lilac, chokecherry, service berry and sand cherry to help with erosion control. Mountain mahogany and ponderosa pine helped form fuel breaks.

All the plants have thrived, she said, and every year she adds more from the nursery.

Combined, the Washoe nursery and its sister nursery in Las Vegas sell more than 100,000 seedlings each year, generating about $245,000 in revenue. That money funds the program the next year, which runs on minimal operating costs as most of the nursery's work is performed by inmates housed at the Nevada Department of Corrections. More than 400 inmates are employed by the program annually.

A seedbank program, operated at an adjacent site, collects and distributes an average of 42,000 pounds of seed annually.

The nursery is located at 885 Eastlake Blvd., on the north edge of Washoe Lake. It is open 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday to Saturday.

Correction: Changes to this story have been made to reflect that a Nevada Division of Forestry Forester retrieved Steamboat Buckwheat that was damaged in fire suppression efforts and did not dig up plants. Those plants are housed at the nursery but are not for sale. 

Amy Alonzo covers the outdoors, recreation and environment for Nevada and Lake Tahoe. Reach her at aalonzo@gannett.com. Here's how you can support ongoing coverage and local journalism.