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Information For Communities

Updated 08/29/2008

Native Prairie Landscaping at Horizon Middle School, Bismarck, ND.
Native Prairie Landscaping at
Horizon Middle School, Bismarck, ND
Photo Credit: Bismarck Plant Materials Center

Using plants in urban landscapes can be a valuable component of managing storm- water runoff. Plants can be used in biofiltration systems including bioswales, bioretention cells and rain gardens to capture runoff from impervious surfaces such as rooftops, driveways, and patios.

Many of the Plant Materials Programs 600+ conservation plant releases can and are used to create colorful low water-use, drought tolerant, sustainable landscapes. Native plants released by the Plant Materials Program are often more fire resistant and remain green longer than invasive species. Below are a few publication topics that may be of interest to communities. 

Publications and Resources

Featured Publications

If you encounter any problems with the files provided on this page, please contact Leslie Glass at 701-250-4330.

These documents require Adobe Acrobat.

Living Landscapes in North Dakota: A Guide to Native Plantscaping. (PDF; 7.8 MB) North Dakota NRCS. 2006. USDA, NRCS, Plant Materials Center., Bismarck, North Dakota. June 2006. 38p. (ID# 6598)
"A rain garden is a colorful, perennial planting designed to capture and use rain water that may otherwise run off.  It is a garden in a shallow depression.  It can be large or small..... "

Rain Gardens, Capturing and Using the Rains of the Great Plains. (PDF; 725 KB) Stange, Craig and Nancy Jensen. 2007. Bismarck, ND. (ID# 7278)
"Native Landscaping provides an attractive, environmentally friendly landscape while reducing water and maintenance requirements....."

Creating Native Landscapes in the Northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountains. (PDF; 5.2 MB) Majerus, M.E., C. Reynolds, J. Scianna, S. Winslow, L. Holzworth, and B. Woodson. 2001. USDA-NRCS, Bozeman, MT. October 2001. 16p. (ID# 1734)
Improving Urban Landscapes  (PDF; 434 KB) August 2007
Conservation Plant Solutions (PDF; 813 KB) Version 2.0 0802
Responding to Natural Disasters (PDF; 350 KB) Version 3.0 0802

Features

Helpful Web Sites

Community Assistance and Farmland Preservation - NRCS



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