Establishment of Wildflower Islands to Enhance Roadside Health, Ecological Value, and Aesthetics Phase II

Ebbers, Jackson; Hillhouse, Heidi; Guretzky, John; Weissling, Tom

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Establishment of Wildflower Islands to Enhance Roadside Health, Ecological Value, and Aesthetics Phase II

2023-03-31
By Ebbers, Jackson ; Hillhouse, Heidi ; Guretzky, John

File Language:

English

Details

Creators:

Ebbers, Jackson ; Hillhouse, Heidi ; Guretzky, John ; Weissling, Tom
Corporate Creators:

University of Nebraska--Lincoln. Dept. of Agronomy and Horticulture
Corporate Contributors:

Nebraska. Department of Transportation ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
Subject/TRT Terms:
Publication/ Report Number:

SPR-FY21(011)
Resource Type:

Tech Report
Geographical Coverage:

Nebraska ; United States
Edition:

Final Report July 1, 2020 – March 31, 2023
Corporate Publisher:

Nebraska. Department of Transportation
Abstract:

Roadsides play an ever-increasing role in sustaining biodiversity. In 2020, we launched a project on backslopes along Highways 2 and 77 evaluating seeding and mowing treatments to enhance beneficial forbs including milkweed (Asclepias spp.) species. Analyses showed that seeding increased forb diversity, total forb cover, and floristic quality. However, mowing effects were less clear. Forb cover was higher on plots that were mowed in October 2020 before seeding, but effects of pre-mowing varied with site. The combination of pre-mowing and seeding was most effective at increasing floristic quality of the Highway 2 site. However, mowing after seeding in early July did not improve forb establishment. Accumulation of dead plant matter on the soil surface (i.e., litter) appeared to have a strong impact on forb density in the first year of the study. This research provides information on the limitations and opportunities in planting native wildflower seed into roadsides with previously established vegetation. Insight from this report will help guide recommendations and future research on the best management practices for Nebraska roadsides.
Format:

PDF
Funding:

# 26-6222-1007-001
Download URL:

https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/67208/dot_67208_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 2.07 MB]
Collection(s):

US Transportation Collection
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha256:06c33b06d061517e713e63edc554769180e2003ea0b93f73a9dcb60292c79940

File Language:

English

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