Performance Details
Department of Natural Resources - Alaska Plant Material Center (PMC)
Mission
Promote and encourage development of an agriculture industry in Alaska.
Core Services
- Provide plant solutions for erosion control, seed production, and revegetation Statewide.
- Provide technical assistance and management efforts against terrestrial and freshwater invasive plants.
- Administer plant material services meeting the needs of Alaska natural resource developers and agricultural industries.
- Implementation of the States Industrial Hemp Pilot Program.
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Performance Detail
A: Result - Ensure that plant materials and industry services are available for Alaskan agricultural and environmental needs statewide. |
A1: Core Service - Provide plant solutions for erosion control, seed production, and revegetation Statewide. |
Target #1: Respond to 95% of requests for plant solutions.
Annual Plant Solutions
Analysis of results and challenges: The Alaska Plant Material Center (PMC) provides information to the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, various mining companies, engineering firms, state and federal agencies and the public regarding recommendations on revegetation, reclamation and erosion control methodology and agricultural production. These recommended specifications are based on the PMC evaluation plots and promote the use of native seed and other agricultural products produced by Alaskan agricultural businesses. Increases over the past few years are due to the outreach, education, and staff involvement with development projects statewide. A significant increase from previous years was due to the amount of information requests due to Covid-19 and the need for knowledge transfer on general plant production methods for small scale food production e.g. gardens, homesteads, small acreage farms. |
A2: Core Service - Provide technical assistance and management efforts against terrestrial and freshwater invasive plants. |
Target #1: Respond to invasive inquires and actively manage priority infestations.
Analysis of results and challenges: The Alaska Plant Materials Center provides technical assistance to landowners, land managers, and industry groups regarding the identification and management of invasive plants and agricultural pests. The technical assistance provided is based on current science and data for existing invasive issues in Alaska. These numbers represent requests for consultation or information including requests for informational materials, assistance in identification of specimens, guidance on management options, and site consultation. The increase in requests from FY2019 to FY2020 is due to the outreach and education Statewide on current infestations of Elodea. Acres treated as a metric to measure the program's ability to rapidly respond to invasive populations is a new metric from FY2019 forward, hence the limited data prior to FY2019. |
A3: Core Service - Administer plant material services meeting the needs of Alaska natural resource developers and agricultural industries. |
Target #1: Meet 95% of requested seed testing, seed cleaning, seed sales, and pathology services requested by Alaskan industries and agencies.
Plant Material Services
Analysis of results and challenges: The Alaska Plant Materials Center (PMC) offers multiple plant material services to include seed cleaning and conditioning, seed testing, plant pathology testing, foundation seed sales, generation zero potato seed sales and seed certifications. The PMC houses the only nationally certified seed testing lab in the state of Alaska. The lab offers a variety of tests including purity, germination, tetrazolium (viability), noxious weed seed, moisture content, seed count and pathological testing services. Alaska State Seed Lab is a vital link between seed growers, seed retailers and customers. The lab ensures that the seed marketed in the state meets state and federal seed laws and industry standards prior to being offered for sale in the state. These services are provided at a fee to the client to cover the cost of the testing, sale of plant materials, or cleaning and conditioning of the seed lot. |
A4: Core Service - Implementation of the States Industrial Hemp Pilot Program. |
Target #1: Actively provide technical assistance about Industrial hemp and the proposed pilot program.
Requests for Information
Analysis of results and challenges: Since the passage of Senate Bill 6 the Plant Materials Center has been fielding requests for information about industrial hemp and the pilot program. During the initial conversation about the proposed industry the Division expected less than 250 individuals interested in the program, since the bill's passage and changes in federal law the division has had over 3,600 inquires. This number includes both in and out of state individuals and businesses. The Division is actively registering and endorsing products on a daily basis. All industrial hemp produced in 2020 under the program tested well below the define limit for industrial hemp, showing great potential for increased future production. |
Current as of December 31, 2020