Monitoring
Saving Smooth Coneflower in Oak-Hickory Glades in Northeast Georgia: A 25-Year Partnership The Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance, a network of conservation professionals who collaborate in hands-on rare plant conservation work, was founded in 1995, and the Federally Endangered Smooth Coneflower, Echinacea laevigata (G2/S2) was among their first priority projects. This species was in serious decline in Georgia and for the first time each of the key partners for its conservation were committed to work together. Landowners, restoration ecologists, forest managers, botanists, horticulturists, and permitting agents partnered to devise a plan. Recovery for this species is ongoing with annual reintroductions of indexed material, removal of competing woody species, application of prescribed fire, and monitoring.
Augmentation
Partners Atlanta Botanical Garden Georgia Department of Natural Resources Georgia Forestry Commission Georgia Power Company State Botanical Garden of Georgia US Forest Service
Management Impacts - Five populations saved from extirpation. - 1,000 Smooth Coneflowers outplanted and 3700 seeds directly sown, with documented high survival. - Significant recovery of the understory flora including other rare species signature to oakhickory woodlands including Symphyotrichum georgianum (G3/S2), Lysimachia fraseri (G3/S1), and Pine Snake, Pituophis melanoleucus (S3, Georgia Threatened), seen for the first time in north Georgia after nine years of active survey. - Future plans include significant expansion of oak-hickory glades and woodlands as part of the US Forest Service Foothills Landscape Plan.
Heather Alley, State Bot. Garden of GA; Mike Brod, Chat-Oconee National Forests, USFS; Jennifer Ceska, SBG; Jenny Cruse-Sanders, SBG; Mincy Moffett, GA Dept. Nat. Resources; Carrie Radcliffe, Atlanta Bot. Garden; Jimmy Rickard, USFS; Jim Sullivan, GA Forestry Com.; Doug Watson, Cindy Wentworth, Jim Wentworth, USFS. 1
https://botgarden.uga.edu/conservation-science