Climate Resiliency: The Future of Native Planting – By Sophia Falls (Fall 2022)

In the coming years, the Puget Sound region is projected to shift from hardiness zone 8b to zone 9 in response to the changing climate. Zones are essential considerations when choosing plants as it determines what species will thrive in a specific environment. With shifts in hydrology patterns, temperature, habitat, pests, and pathogens, many native plant species’ life cycles will no longer thrive. A looming implication of this is that the plant selection palette for restoration projects will be affected. A 2019 study led by Indiana University and Michigan State University examining how warming temperatures affect native and non-native flowering plants in the Midwest found that the non-native species shifted their flowering earlier, while native plants were unresponsive to climate warmings. As the climate is rapidly shifting, the question is raised of when to shift restoration planting palettes in response to these changes. 

This project explores the implications for native plant communities with the changing climate. Through analyzing existing studies considering climate change’s effects on plants, and interviewing professionals in the Seattle area working with native species in landscape design, this project provides a visual document suggesting plants to consider cultivating to prepare climate-ready restoration sites.