Determining Best Protocols for Wild Seed Collection and Methods for Calculating Seed Value

The purpose of the study is to determine best protocols for collecting, processing,
storing, and germinating seed from local, wild sources for approximately 50 species.
These are critical aspects in the success of a remote seed collection program. In this
study we will also determine how we can evaluate and quantify physical and ecological
differences between species to determine a seed value. Seed value can be used for
both species prioritizing in mine reclamation and for the development of local
businesses.
Field studies will be conducted in 2016 at De Beers Victor mine, located in the
Hudson Bay Lowland. We will examine regional plant characteristics such as: habitat
and soil preferences, fruit maturation times, and Cree names. We will calculate seed
value by evaluating key attributes that affect time and cost of using wild seeds including:
regional plant abundances, fruiting characteristics (Fig. 1), requirements for
identification, ease of processing and storing seeds, and the species contribution to
reclamation. Attributes will be scaled from 1 to 10 and contribute to a relative seed
value.