Roadside Revegetation

PLANNING PHASE ONE: ORIENT
4.1 INTRODUCTION
Careful planning is essential to the success of any roadside revegetation project. In this phase,
the designer performs the following tasks, as described in Table 4-1:
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Defines revegetation objectives
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Gathers pre-field information
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Defines revegetation units
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Locates reference sites
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Gathers field information
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Defines the desired future condition
Table 4-1 | Phase one of planning involves six steps
Activity
Definition
Step 1. Determine project objectives Describe the general purpose and goals of the road project as determined by societal, ecological,
and transportation needs, environmental regulations, and other factors. Develop revegetation
objectives, including pollinator habitat enhancement, erosion control, water quality enhancement,
weed control, and carbon sequestration.
Step 2. Gather pre-field information Prior to field surveys, review reports and websites that describe soils, vegetation, climate, and
pollinators for the project area.
Step 3. Define revegetation units Classify areas within the project site that are similar enough to be appropriate for similar strategies
and treatments. Homogenous sites will have only a few units; sites with greater diversity (different
soil types, microclimates, vegetation types, management needs, etc.) will have more revegetation
units. Each unit should be distinct in terms of ecology, management requirements, or both.
Step 4.
Locate reference sites for each
revegetation unit
Locate natural or revegetated areas that will serve as models for desirable recovery of native plant
communities. One or more reference sites are identified for each revegetation unit in the project area.
Step 5. Gather field information Survey reference sites, as well as the road project in general, for vegetation, soils, climate, and
pollinator habitat that will provide baseline ecological data for developing the revegetation plan.
Step 6.
Specify desired future conditions
for each revegetation unit
Create specific, measurable goals for each revegetation unit, usually defined in terms of the percentage
of vegetative cover, ground cover, species composition, plant growth, plant density, and
pollinator diversity and abundance.
It is important to first understand the road project objectives and translate them into the
objectives for revegetating the site. Because road project objectives and roadside environments
are different for each project, each project will have a unique set of revegetation objectives.
Revegetation objectives are guides for developing a revegetation plan and are stated broad
terms such as the following:
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Increase pollinator habitat
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Reduce soil erosion
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Improve water quality
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Increase soil stabilization
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Reduce the spread of noxious weeds
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Enhance aesthetic experience
Roadside Revegetation: An Integrated Approach to Establishing Native Plants and Pollinator Habitat
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