Presented By: Dan Salas, University of Illinois Chicago; Laura Fox, Argonne National Lab; James McCall, National Renewable Energy Lab; Tristan Barley, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Lee Walston, Argonne National Lab; Ben Campbell, University of Illinois Chicago; Jordan Martin, National Renewable Energy Lab
Habitat Establishment
If You Build It, Will They Come? Insect Community Responses to Habitat Establishment at Solar Energy Facilities in Minnesota, USA
This case study highlights the relatively rapid (<4 year) insect community responses to grassland restoration activities and provides support for solar-pollinator habitat as a feasible conservation practice to safeguard biodiversity and increase food security in agricultural landscapes.
Establishment of Wildflower Islands to Enhance Roadside Health, Ecological Value, and Aesthetics: Phase II
This report from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln determines the seeding and mowing practices that effectively improve the health and variety of roadside plants in Nebraska.
Promoting Native Roadside Plant Communities and Ensuring Successful Vegetation Establishment Practices
This study by the Virginia Transportation Research Council reviews the effectiveness Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)’s roadside vegetation establishment practices and provides recommendations on how to explore opportunities to improve understanding of procedural policy and implement procedural improvements, including revision of VDOT’s Roadside Development Sheets and testing native plants for suitability for placement alongside Virginia’s roads.
Native Species for Roadslope Revegetation: Selection, Validation, and Cost Effectiveness
This paper published by Restoration Ecology outlines a study performed in Spain that evaluated a procedure to select suitable native species for roadslope revegetation, validated the procedure by means of field sowing experiments, and assessed the cost effectiveness of using native seed mixes as compared to commercial ones.
Factors and benefits in the establishment of modest-sized wildflower plantings: a review
This review article published by Native Plants Journal highlights some of the previous research in establishing modest-sized wildflower plantings. Components include: pre-planting concerns; planting and maintenance; wildflower dividends; and wildflower establishment recommendations.
Cost-Effective Native Seed Mix Design and First-Year Management
The paper is available at Iowa State University Digital Repository. The objective was to compare native plant density, canopy cover, and cost effectiveness with and without establishment mowing for three different seed mixes that differed in grass-to-forb ratio and soil type customization.
Creating Economically and Ecologically Sustainable Pollinator Habitat
This document prepared by Florida Department of Transportation evaluates a cost-effective strategy for creating habitat for pollinators/beneficial insects in the ROW beyond the back-slope.
Monarchs & Roadsides: Mowing Practices Webinar – June 27, 2018
This webinar presents three perspectives on mowing practices along roadsides and how they impact monarch butterflies and their habitat. Presenters are Edward Entsminger, Mississippi State University; Stephanie Dobbs, Illinois Department of Transportation; and Doug Landis, Michigan State University.
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.