Evaluation of soil resources for sustained vegetative cover of cut-slopes along I-70 near Straight Creek.
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2013-07-01
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NTL Classification:NTL-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATION-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATION;NTL-ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT-ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT;
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Abstract:Revegetation of high elevation decomposed granite cut-slopes often requires repeated applications of soil
amendments to attain sustained vegetative cover. Plant transects from slopes west of the Eisenhower Tunnel from
2007 to 2012 showed that cover was generally stable during this period. Soil fertility tests indicated that nutrients are
generally low but still comparable to disturbed-but-revegetated reference plots. Soil organic matter and slow-release
forms of nitrogen (N) may be a potential limiting factor. The N release rates of several common CDOT soil
amendments were evaluated in a multi-year, field incubation experiment. Test results indicate a wide range of N
release availability from nearly immediate to fairly slow release rates. Of the slow-release materials, about 74 % of
total N content was released the first growing season, another 7 % in the following two years, while about 19 % was
still retained in a more stable organic matter form at the end of the experiment. The study suggests that after several
applications of slow-release amendments, vegetative cover on these cut-slopes is stabilizing.
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