Participate in this training to learn ways to improve the long term success of conservation plantings. The webinar will highlight ecological restoration tools aimed at restoring native plant communities; examine broad benefits of plant community restoration; and illustrate how seed choices can improve (or harm) plantings. Potential impacts of local ecotype, source identified, and cultivar seed choices as they relate to conservation goals will be reviewed. A conservation planning approach developed in Iowa that combines data on site characteristics with native plant communities to provide reference communities for restoration planning will be introduced. This webinar is aimed at NRCS conservation planners and partners, particularly those less familiar with ecologically based planning.