MAINE PUBLIC • November 19, 2025
The New England-based Native Plant Trust has reached a milestone in an effort to bank 10 million seeds. The trust is the oldest plant conservation organization in the country, and focuses specifically on rare and endangered plant species that are native to New England. It also works on education, teaching homeowners to grow native plants in their lawns and gardens. Tim Johnson, the organization's CEO, said that seed banks aren't just a scientific endeavor - they're an insurance policy for the future. "Biodiversity, that variation in species and subspecies, that's what gives our ecosystems their functionality," he said. "It's what protects them from disturbances and when bad things happen, it's what allows them to bounce back."