Develop soil/media mixes to promote growth of pollinator friendly vegetation in roadside settings

The goal of this project is to develop soils/plant root growth media to be used with recommended pollinator seed mixes in order to promote the growth of native nectar producing plant species on NYS roadsides to enhance habitat for Pollinators. Proposed Actions: ⦁ Identify roadside locations at diverse ecological zones throughout NY State where native nectar producing plants are thriving. Sample the soil/ media compositions and light levels ⦁ Create a demographic model of plant species and pollinators at those locations ⦁ Research pollinator seed mixes that have been developed by various agencies or groups and create a spreadsheet of various seed mix recommendations based on environmental conditions ⦁ Identify if any NYSDOT soils from the Standards and Specifications have similar properties to the soil/media with an abundance of thriving nectar producing plants ⦁ Create several additional soil/media mixes that would support a variety of native nectar producing plants ⦁ Document the composition of these new soil/media mixes ⦁ Select several roadside locations within each ecological zone to be used as test sites ⦁ Test the efficacy of NYSDOT Soil Standards identified and the newly created soil/plant root growth media mixes developed along with the pollinator seed mix recommendations by using them on NYSDOT Roadside test sites selected ⦁ This includes preparation of the test sites as needed, acquiring and/or manufacturing for the test locations, applying the soil/media at the test locations, and purchasing and applying the various seed mixes to be tested ⦁ Create a demographic model of resulting species of plants, along with any pollinators that were observed ⦁ Sample and document the substrate at the test site locations ⦁ If native nectar producing plant species established more predominantly using the identified NYSDOT soil or new soil/media at the locations, document the success of the soil/media and seed mix combinations ⦁ Specify which plant species benefit from the different soil/media mixes at the test sites and describe the environmental conditions ⦁ Work with NYSDOT Main Office to support the development of standard sheets and specifications for various Native Friendly Roadside Soil/ Media Mixes that can be used to optimize the establishment of groups of native nectar producing plants of interest at various ecological regions throughout the State

Language

• English

Project

• Contract Numbers:

  C-16-02

  SPR2(215)

• Sponsor Organizations:

  New York State Department of Transportation

  50 Wolf Road
  Albany, NY  United States  12232
• Project Managers:

  Colley, Christine

• Start Date: 20190502
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Roadside flora; Seeding; Soil components; Vegetation control
• Geographic Terms: New York (State)
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01737440
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: New York State Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: C-16-02, SPR2(215)
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Apr 23 2020 3:01PM