Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management posted a study on the effects of decreased mowing on roadsides and it’s effect on plant communities. With the decline of grasses and wildflowers alongside rights-of-ways new strategies for their maintenance and care have surfaced.
Ecological Value/Monitoring
Economic Impact of Ecosystem Services Provided by Ecologically Sustainable Roadside Right of Way Vegetation Management Practices
This report prepared by the University of Florida on behalf of the Florida Department of Transportation estimates the economic value of Florida’s State Highway System roadside right-of-way ecosystem.
Shrub Willows Make for Effective, Inexpensive Snow Fences in Minnesota
Researchers at the Minnesota Department of Transportation planted shrub willows as living snow fences along U.S. 14 in Waseca, Minnesota. The hybrid willow shrub fences, which cost much less to install than traditional snow fence plants and grow to serviceable size several years faster, trapped up to 3 metric tons of snow in their second season.
Optimal Timing of Power Line Rights-of-Way Management for the Conservation of Butterflies
In this study, The Royal Entomological Society investigated vegetation clearing activities on power line rights-of-ways (ROWs) in Finland and evaluated optimal clearing intervals in terms of butterfly species richness and abundance.