This website, the plant guide, and these protocols were developed as part of a Master's research project at Laurentian University, under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Campbell.
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In 2014 the De Beers Victor mine began an onsite wild seed collection program and we saw the need to develop simple and effective protocols for all aspects of wild seed collection.
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Nearby First Nation communities include: Attawapiskat First Nation, Kashechewan, Fort Albany, Moosonee and Moose Factory.
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Agreements with these communities, dictate that the mine site must use only native species in their revegetation efforts.
About our research
Field sites
We practiced these collection protocols out in the far North of Ontario, within the Hudson Bay Lowlands.
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We were seeking seeds from 'upland' plants (those that grow in dry soil conditions), so we collected from the upper Attawapiskat River shoreline.
As you can see in the photo on the right, inland from the river shores, the landscape is primarily wetland or muskeg.
Photo credit: Katherine Garrah
Acknowledgements
We wish to acknowledge the many individuals who helped bring the plant guide together. To Dr. Gerard Courtin and Dr. Nancy Shaw for their edits and feedback. To Jonathan Lavigne and Benjamin Polowich for their help in the field. Benjamin was responsible for capturing many photographs featured in the plant guide and on the website. To the seed collectors and staff at the Victor mine site for their time spent brainstorming ways to improve collecting and cleaning methods.
Funding support for the research was provided by De Beers Canada with additional funding to the first author from a Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Industrial Postgraduate Scholarship.
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Photo credits (unless otherwise written): Brittany Rantala-Sykes and Benjamin Polowich
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To cite this website:
Rantala-Sykes, B. and D. Campbell. 2017. "Collecting seed from wild plants in northeastern Ontario". Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University. [Date accessed] <http://nativewildseed.wixsite.com/nativewildseed>
