We need native seeds in order to respond to climate change, but there aren't enough

Seeds are seen as students at Eucalyptus Elementary School in in Hawthorne, Calif., learn to plant a vegetable garden on March 13, 2019. The U.S. supply of native seeds is currently too low to respond to climate change-related events, a new report finds. (David McNew/AFP via Getty Images)

In the wake of wildfires, floods and droughts, restoring damaged landscapes and habitats requires native seeds. The U.S. doesn't have enough, according to a report released Thursday.

"Time is of the essence to bank the seeds and the genetic diversity our lands hold," the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) report said.