by Rick Huffman
Greetings, Native Plant Enthusiast,
I want to bring you up to date on our chapter’s role in the recent launch of the Southeastern Native Seed Network (SENSN) – an initiative I believe will revolutionize the native plant industry!
SENSN is a coalition of regional organizations representing researchers, producers, biologists, educators, and other stakeholders, who are working together to advance the responsible use and management of native seeds. SCNPS Upstate, one of SENSN’s founding sponsors, is among them.
Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of representing our chapter at several conferences and meetings that culminated in the formation of SENSN:
- In 2025, the National Native Seed Conference in Tucson, Arizona, with 500+ attendees from across the nation: On behalf of SC, I represented SCNPS, and Dr. Martin Hamilton, Executive Director, represented the South Carolina Botanical Garden (SCBG).
- In 2025, the initial SENSN monthly meetings set the stage for establishing our nonprofit status and for identifying and developing resources, materials, and messaging. We reached out to state agencies and communities to gauge interest and demand, and the response was tremendous. They all have huge needs for native seeds.
- In early 2026, as chapter president, I attended a conference hosted by the Southern Grassland Institute (SGI) and Austin Peay State University. It was held in Newton, Georgia, at the Jones Center, where representatives from nine states gathered to hammer out how to make seedbanks a reality and to meet market demands.
Here’s the vision of what we can accomplish working through SENSN
Through seed banks and exchanges operating under the newest scientific protocols, native seeds will be available at an industrial scale for distribution through a broad-reaching supply chain. Everyone cultivating native plants will benefit from the seed network: landowners, land trusts, individual gardeners, nurseries, and other distributors, as well as private, commercial, and public land managers. In the event of disasters, such as forest fires and hurricanes, that destroy plant life and threaten wildlife, communities will have access to the volume of local native seed needed for plant restoration and recovery.
As we increase the supply of native seeds, the demand will increase, and ultimately, we’ll see an exponential expansion in our native plant populations!
Why we’re all in on SENSN
Today, both SC Department of Transportation (SCDOT), SC Forestry, and the SC Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) could use thousands of pounds of seeds that are native to our region. But that supply is not available because of huge demands and low supply. Through the work of SENSN, we can build the network to meet the demand and make native seed production a marketable reality in SC.
Based on our 30 years of advocacy, education, and hard work, SCNPS is prepared to help grow the native seed industry. For example, one of our most successful partnerships over the years was with the US Forest Service (USFS). For 13 years, SCNPS assisted the Forest Service in collection, cleaning, propagation, and seed orchard establishment across South Carolina. We demonstrated how cost-effective and environmentally effective native plants are compared to exotics for controlling erosion. The result: the USFS now has an extensive seed program supplying seeds. Success!!
Our SCNPS chapter is experienced in recovering and expanding native plant populations. Many members have participated in seed exchanges at our meetings. Many have collected rare and threatened native seeds on science-based field trips. Many have volunteered to collect seeds and propagate native plants for our Upstate Native Nursery. And many, through advocacy and outreach to government and industry, have convinced communities to use native plants in landscaping and land management.
Today, SCNPS is again ready to lend our knowledge and service to SENSN. Our chapter is committed to playing a key role in its growth, and we’ll have new opportunities for members to get involved. So, stay tuned. You’ll hear much more about this initiative – a powerful extension of the work we’ve been doing for 30 years!
With gratitude for your dedication to native plants, your Upstate Chapter President,
Rick Huffman, FASLA
P.S. Our SCNPS 30th anniversary kicks off in the Upstate with a March 17th event at the Other Lands venue. Please come out and join the celebration of the history we’re continuing to make as the voice for native plants in SC and the region. If you don’t have your tickets yet, scroll down to the events section of this newsletter for details.
