Scientists and botanists are on a campaign to save seeds for future generations.

As California and much of the West tries to recover from devastating wildfires, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont is leading the way in harvesting with its “Seeds of Success” program. It centers around the belief that replanting seeds, although subtle, is crucial to the continued health of any ecosystem.

The garden cultivates and maintains a seed bank safeguarding California’s native plants. It’s a big job. The program has prioritized its work to start with the 2,300 species that are listed as rare, threatened or endangered by the California Native Plant Society.

“The seed bank at the garden is an insurance policy for the future, a sort of backup system that allows us to hedge bets against disasters or development,” said Naomi Fraga, the garden’s director of conservation programs.

The garden is working with the National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration campaign to help return native plants to restored landscapes. The seed bank already holds conservation seed collections of more than 400 rare plant species, and is the largest seed bank for California native plants. The goal this year has been to conserve seed collections of at least 30 species that haven’t been kept in long-term storage. Collection sites are the Mojave Desert, Tehachapi Mountains, Transverse Ranges and the southern Sierra Nevada.

Seeds from the sample populations are stored in freezers at the Claremont facility, which contains the largest and most diverse collections of its kind. The seeds are all indigenous to the state, such as California buckwheat and golden yarrow.

“We concentrate on the rarest and most endangered seeds, which are then collected responsibly in these areas. For example, one is the Mojave woolly sunflower that grows around Barstow and the western part of the Mojave Desert and another is the San Antonio milkvetch, which is in the pea family,” Fraga said.

The seed collection program has been in full gear since the 1990s.

“It’s important now more than ever because rare plants continue to be more rare and with climate shifts we have to secure their genetic materials,” she said.

Wildfires throughout the state have scarred landscapes, but replanting native seeds can help restore some of the beauty that has been lost.

“California is a very special place for plants. We are stewards of a very diverse plant population that needs to be protected,” Fraga said. “People enjoy the beauty of our state, its landscapes and parks. And we need to be like canaries in the coal mine and guard against possible dangers.”

Visitors can see the seed program in action during arranged tours. Most of the work is done by specially trained individuals, since the specimens now being collected must be properly identified, processed and collected.

“Volunteers and interns can help, but the best way people can get involved in supporting the mission of the garden is to volunteer here,” Fraga said.

But gardeners should take heart. There are other avenues open by joining the work in the trenches — make that backyards. Plant lovers and home gardeners are learning how to sow and save what they reap at places such as the Seed Library of Los Angeles and the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants in Sun Valley. Both believe strongly in helping spread the word about naturally recycling home harvests.

David King is the founding chairman of the Seed Library of Los Angeles (http://slola.org), and he says he can teach someone the basics in 10 minutes. “Our great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers as a matter of course did this. All it really takes is patience.”

While the garden works with rare and endangered plants, the Seed Library deals exclusively with non-hybrid food plants. “There is an alarming decline in the biodiversity of our foods. Varietals are diminishing and to have food security you need to have seed security,” he said.

The Seed Library of Los Angeles is aptly named — it’s a depository where members check seeds out, use them and then return some to its facility located at The Learning Center on the Venice High School campus. It also offers monthly meetings in Venice and Encino, discussions and workshops.

“My best advice to those interested in sharing seeds is to come to a meeting, check out some seeds — the easiest to work with are from tomatoes, lettuce, beans and peas — and then go from there,” King said. “I always say the first thing you should plant is a chair so you can observe what’s happening in your garden.”

The library also is meant to be a resource center to promote local reproducible food plants. Lifetime membership is $10.

The Theodore Payne Foundation, too, wants to help build diversity in Southern California’s urban environment. Its goal is to preserve, propagate and promote California native plants, seeds and wildflowers. Madena Asbell, director of horticulture, and Genevieve Arnold, seed program manager, teach classes on how to harvest and store seeds.

“It really is easier than you realize. Cleaning the seeds can be challenging and knowing where and when to do it, not too early and not too late,” Asbell said.

Learning those growth cycles, Arnold said, is a valuable gardening tool. “It’s a great way to understand your garden better, allowing you to take the relationship to the next level. You’ll learn the life cycle of your plants, how they offer a habitat for birds and insects and the role they play in your home landscape and supporting the natural habitat.”

Learning how to harvest California native seeds is best in the summer when most are ready. Classes provide hands-on training that allow gardeners to harvest, store, label and compare. But experts are available to answer questions.

To learn more:

Seed banking isn’t just for scientists. Those interested in conservation and the environment can set up their own collections at home. Here are a couple of places to get started.

Seed Library of Los Angeles

What: Offers monthly classes, discussions and how-to videos while promoting home and community sharing.

When: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Nov. 20, Sepulveda Gardens Center, 16633 Magnolia Blvd., Encino; 2:30-4 p.m. Nov. 21, The Learning Garden, 13000 Venice Blvd., Venice.

Admission: Free; lifetime memberships $10.

Information: http://slola.org

The Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild flowers and Native Plants

What: Nonprofit nursery specializing in California native plants.

When: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

Where: 10459 Tuxford St., Sun Valley.

Admission: Free.

Information: 818-768-1802; http://theodorepayne.org