Sown seeds to restore shingle vegetation

The success of germination and establishment of sown seeds can be helped by increasing the amount of material in the shingle. Appropriate pretreatment to overcome dormancy and provide optimal conditions for germination allow the efficient use of seed for plant production in restoration projects (Walmsley & Davy 1997a). However as a general restoration technique it is not considered to be suitable because of the risk of catastrophic failure on exposed shores (Walmsley & Davy 2001).

References

Walmsley, C.A. & Davy, A.J. 1997a. Germination characteristics of shingle beach species, effects of seed ageing and their implications for vegetation restoration. Journal of Applied Ecology, 34/1., 131-142. Abstract...

Walmsley, C.A. & Davy, A.J. 2001. Habitat creation and restoration of damaged shingle communities. In: Ecology & Geomorphology of Coastal Shingle, eds.Packham, J.R., Randall, R.E., Barnes, R.S.K. & Neal, A.Westbury Academic and Scientific Publishing, 409-420.