Happy Manidoo Giizis (Spirit Moon), also called Gichi-Manidoo Giizis (Great Spirit Moon)! The coming of Manidoo Giizis reminds us to rest and dream during these cold Winter months, and to think about our place in the world - the ways in which we are connected to each other and to all other Beings on the Land.

This month, we’ll be reflecting together on the gift economy, what reciprocity means, and how to show gratitude to the Earthly Kin around us. We encourage you to also ask yourself these questions, so that, come Spring, when the ground thaws and the trees bud, we can use our new perspective to greet the Beings around us with respect and gratitude, with recognition and appreciation. If this topic sounds hard to grasp, don’t worry! It’s hard for all of us, because we’ve lived in a society that doesn’t teach us how to connect and bond with a Plant, or an Insect, or a River, or the Soil. To start our exploration of those ideas, we’re reading an article by Robin Wall Kimmerer called “The Serviceberry”, which she also recently expanded on and published as a book.

The Genetic Diversity of Seeds

In the last newsletter, we discussed growing plants from seeds and how to help the seeds germinate. If you’re like me, you may have immediately started thinking about how you can start contributing to our community’s supply of native species by collecting and growing native plants from seeds. But before we get too carried away, we have another important topic to cover first: genetic diversity.

Why is Genetic Diversity Important?

Hopefully if you’re reading this newsletter, you already know that biodiversity (typically referring to diversity of species) makes ecosystems more stable and resilient. However, genetic diversity also makes ecosystems more resilient. Research has found that genetic diversity increases functional diversity and may also stabilise energy/nutrient flows. Functional diversity refers to the breadth of different roles individuals can play in an ecosystem. For example:

• Species level: Oaks that host lepidoptera (butterflies/moths) and other insects, Green Alders that fix nitrogen that provides nutrients for plants.

• Genetic level: Some individuals may be more drought tolerant, protecting the species in the dry season, while other individuals can be very effective at performing photosynthesis, creating energy sources for their communities. Functional diversity is generally less significant at the genetic level, but still important.

A smaller gene pool can also make communities struggle to adapt to changes in their environment, since there are fewer genes from which to find an individual that can survive the changes. And genetic diversity can ensure some species’ survival, as certain genes may be resistant to harmful diseases.

Outcrossing and Selfing

Before we can discuss how to maximise genetic diversity, we need to understand the concepts of outcrossing and selfing. Outcrossing refers to the sharing of genes between multiple individuals of the same species through cross-pollination. Selfing is the opposite of outcrossing - small, isolated populations pollinate each other, resulting in low genetic diversity. The more effective a plant is at spreading its pollen to others, the more likely it is to be highly outcrossed. For example, a plant whose pollen is dispersed by wind is typically highly outcrossed, since the wind can transport the pollen over long distances. Just like humans, plants can also be affected by inbreeding if genetic diversity for a plant population is too low. When we collect seeds, it is our responsibility to ensure that we preserve genetic diversity.

Ok but how do you actually preserve genetic diversity?

The Forest Gene Conservation Association has a handy reference sheet about how to preserve genetic diversity. Their main points are:

1. Document which sites you collect seeds from to make sure you don’t keep returning to the same site every time.

2. Collect seeds from healthy stands to avoid poor genetic quality

3. Collect from areas with a large number of individuals of the target species. Larger groups of a particular species are less likely to be affected by selfing. Only collect seeds from areas with > 100 seed-bearing individuals for common species, or >5 for rarer/scattered species.

4. Collect from a variety of individuals in the stand (the more individuals, the greater the diversity). Ideally 15-20 different plants

5. Collect seeds during a good seed year, which ensures there are multiple parents contributing seeds and which increases the likelihood of seed survival (higher quality and quantity of seeds).

6. If collecting from plantations, favour mature, well-adapted, and healthy plantations when collecting seeds.

7. If you are collecting seeds from trees that are vulnerable to a specific disease or insect, collect seeds from individuals who have recovered from the attack, as their offspring are more likely to be genetically tolerant to the disease/insect.

8. Use handling and storage practices that protect the seeds and give them the best chance of survival.

The centre for plant conservation also has a great webinar about seed genetic diversity. They add that you should:

• Stake out the area in which the species of interest is growing, and then collect seeds in a random or grid pattern to maximise the genetic diversity.

• Avoid being biased against “ugly” plants - collect from a wide variety of individuals.

• Never collect more than 3-5% of the seeds produced by an individual, as they need their seeds to reproduce, and many of our Earthly Kin also depend on seeds for food.

At this point, you might be interested in learning the best practices for seed collecting from specific plant species, and how you can store, handle, germinate, and grow them properly. Allow me to recommend the Seeds of Ontario & Eastern Canada manual (2nd book on the link), published by the Forest Gene Conservation Association. It’s a great resource, and an awesome way to meet more of our native plant species! You can also take their Certified Seed Collector training if you want to go one step further!

If you do decide to go seed collecting, please remember to respect all of our Earthly Kin in the plant community. It’s illegal and unethical to collect seeds from endangered species. National and provincial parks, nature reserves, and sanctuaries typically also prohibit seed collecting. Remember to collect seeds from a wide variety of individuals, and only take 3-5% of what’s available.

Comparing Miyawaki Forests to Conventional Plantings

We recently found a new study of Miyawaki forests, published in 2023 by Louise Butfoy in Kent, England, as part of their Trees Outside Woodlands Project. The study compared Miyawaki-method forests to “traditional” tree plantings (which are not very dense and not very diverse) by planting a Miyawaki plot next to a control plot with the “traditional” plantings and comparing outcomes. Some of the findings about Miyawaki forests come as no surprise:

• They have higher survival rates (99% vs 76%)

• They have more than double the biodiversity than “conventional” plantings

• Collaboration with the local community is vital to any project

But other aspects studied produced some super interesting revelations!

• Trees in the Miyawaki forest retained their leaves further into the Fall

• The Miyawaki forest was 30.5% less expensive than the control plot, due to the plants’ higher survival rates and more resilience to environmental factors.

• Vandalism was observed in control plots, with about 1/4 of the trees having been significantly damaged. However, none of the trees and shrubs in the adjacent Miyawaki forest plot were damaged. This is despite the fact that the plots were sited in a “tough” neighbourhood.

This study will be a great resource for anyone who is discussing the benefits of Miyawaki Forests with decision-makers. Plants are amazing, and they have so many gifts to offer to humans and to all our Earthly Kin; we need to start acknowledging the gifts they give, so that we can express our gratitude for them.