Youth use ‘seed bombs’ to heal wildfire-damaged lands

by STAFF REPORT
Staff Report | July 12, 2022 1:55 AM

PULLMAN — Youth of the Colville Reservation have partnered with Washington State University Extension to create seed bombs: clay balls of soil and seeds dispersed to start new generations of native plants.

“The Colville Reservation, like so many other places in the Pacific Northwest, experiences wildfire every year,” said Linda McLean, director and 4-H educator with WSU Colville Reservation Extension, in a release on June 30. “There are always places that need extra help with rehabilitation of plant communities and soil health.”

The hope is that the bombs will help the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in north-central Washington restore forests that have experienced three major wildfires over the past seven years, the release said.

Last July, during the state’s hottest and driest year ever, the Chuweah Creek Fire burned more than 11,000 acres on the reservation, destroying homes and burning more than 34,000 acres of tribal timberland, the release states.

In June, groups of students traveled to Chuweah Creek Fire burn sites and rangeland areas, dispersing seed bombs to control erosion and increase plant diversity and wild habitat. Other youths placed their seed bombs near the Colville Tribal Agency campus’ Smokey Bear sign.

According to the release, return field trips to these sites are planned, allowing students to see the living results of their efforts. McLean plans to continue the partnership.

For the “Seed Bombs – Healing the Earth” project, Colville Reservation Extension’s 4-H Youth Development Program collaborated with the Colville Confederated Tribes, the tribal Mount Tolman Fire Center, and the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Natural Resources to teach youth how to make the seed bombs.

Encased in clay and soil, the ‘bombs’ are seeds of native plants chosen to attract pollinators, benefiting natural plant communities and agricultural crops. In nature, the ‘bombs’ are broken down by the elements, allowing seeds to sprout.

The release states a step-by-step video on how to make seed bombs can be viewed on YouTube.