Revegetating highly disturbed sites in the western United States with native plants is challenging because of poor soils, harsh climates, and the lack of native plant materials suitable for many restoration sites. While there are a variety of products and equipment available to the revegetation specialist, integrating these tools into project planning and construction is often the weak link to successful revegetation. Over a decade ago, the USDA Forest Service and USDOT Federal Highway Administration formed a partnership to address the challenge of restoring native plants on roadsides. The Forest Service has used this partnership as a model for working with other agencies on revegetating abandoned mines, degraded rangelands, high elevation sites, and constructed wetlands. Beginning in the early phase of a project. engineers, environmental specialists, and revegetation specialists work together to craft a revegetation plan at the same time construction plans are being developed. As the project moves into the construction phase. the revegetation specialist, construction engineer, and contractors work together to ensure that the revegetation plan is properly implemented. When the project is completed, the revegetation specialist monitors the results of the revegetation effort and reports the findings. This collaborative effort increases the understanding of available restoration tools, including: (1) when to use them; (2) their effectiveness and costs; and (3) how they are realistically implemented on construction projects. Collaboration has been a key factor in increasing success and advancing the development of new methods and strategies for restoring native plants to highly disturbed sites.

Using established protocols and thereby applying a systematic approach to monitoring roadside revegetation projects can increase the quality of monitoring information and reduce the amount of field and office time. We present a guide to developing a simple monitoring plan, selecting monitoring protocols, collecting and analyzing data, and presenting findings in a monitoring report. The approach is demonstrated in a case study. Also included is a brief description of a monitoring protocol we developed that uses a digital camera and a computer program called the Cover Monitoring Assistant (CMA) to facilitate a quick assessment of soil and vegetative cover information from digital photographs.

Thomas D Landis, David E Steinfeld and R Kasten Dumroese

Kim M Wilkinson, Scott A Riley, David E Steinfeld and Thomas D Landis

A salt is a chemical compound that breaks down in water into electrically charged particles called ions. In a soil system, soluble salts are defined as those inorganic chemicals that are more soluble than gypsum (CaSO 4). The principal soluble salts in the soil contain the cations sodium (Nat calcium (Ca"), and magnesium (Mg") and the anions chloride (C1 ), sulfate (SO 4 ), and bicarbonate (HCO3). Other ions, such as carbonate (CO 3 ) and boron (B), can sometimes be present. Salts may be either damaging or beneficial depending on the characteristics of the specific chemicals involved and the total salt concentration. Ordinary table salt (NaCl ) is toxic to plants, whereas magnesium sulfate (MgSO 4) can be used as a fertilizer. Soluble salts in forest nurseries can come from several sources. They can occur naturally in the soil, or they can be introduced in saline irrigation water, through overfertilization, or from salt-contaminated mulches. Soluble salts can injure woody plant seedlings in four different ways, depending on the total salt concentration and the specific salt ions involved:

Soil compaction can be defined as the decrease in pore space— most importantly, a decrease in the size of the pores—through either natural or cultural means. Although the soil in the entire plow layer will become compacted to some degree, the adverse effects of compaction can often be traced to specific compacted layers, or "pans," which usually develop at certain depths in the soil. Even though soil pans often form below the normal rooting zone, they restrict soil drainage, which in turn adversely affects the soil layers above. The physical effects of compaction include an increase in bulk density and soil strengths and a decrease in drainage (permeability), water-holding capacity, and air movement within the soil. These physical effects cause a degradaFigure 32-1. Soil compaction can result in poor root development. In this seedling, fine roots have failed to develop.

Road revegetation with native plants is both a challenge and an opportunity. A new partnership between the Western Federal Lands Highway Division of the Federal Highway Administration and the USDA Forest Service is focusing on the use of native plants for forest highway road revegetation and road obliteration projects. This emphasis is leading to new applications for many native plant species, as well as development of new stock types, innovative equipment, and monitoring techniques. The process of road planning and development has become more holistic and comprehensive, allowing engineers and biologists to work in partnerships to bring about desired results. Unique challenges of road revegetation projects include harsh conditions, high visibility, and a lack of available information and techniques. Road revegetation offers unique opportunities, including long lead times that facilitate advanced seed procurement and nursery development of native plants, as well as allowing time to evaluate different installation techniques. Two projects highlighting some innovative road revegetation strategies and native stock types are discussed: one along a scenic section of a river on steep mountainous terrain, another on a well-traveled, visually sensitive road near a ski area. Strategies included developing and testing hydroseeding mixes and application techniques with native shrub, forb, and grass species; developing seeded mats for establishing native grasses on severe sites such as gabion walls; and overcoming obstacles to obtaining and increasing high-quality local native plant seed. Because little information is available on revegetating roads with native plants, a new manual is being created to help meet the challenges ahead.