Establishing vegetation after disturbance helps to control what plants will grow there. If left fallow, native vegetation may move in, but weeds or generally undesirable vegetation for rights of way (e.g. tall trees, plants that attract wildlife) may move in. Vigorous non-invasive perennial grasses can prevent the establishment of weeds, and in many cases native species are commercially available. Information on revegetation in Alaska is found through the Alaska Plant Materials Center (www.plants.alaska.gov). The Plant Materials Center has manuals on revegetation and erosion control that detail species that will work, and their general availability in the state. On staff the Plant Materials Center has specialists that are able to help navigate their manual and provide assistance for specific revegetation issues.

Ideal steps for revegetation:

Revegetate after any disturbance
Use native or non-invasive seed
Use species that grow quickly and are adapted to the amount of disturbance in the right of way.
Aggressive, but native or non-invasive species can prevent establishment of invasive species.
Contact the Alaska Plant Materials Center or an environmental analyst with the Department of Environmental Transportation for recommendations on seed mix.

roadside vegetation
Planting vigorous perennial grasses can help prevent re-invasion by invasive species. Shown here is red fescue planted on the Parks Highway in an area where sweetclover was manually removed. Photo courtesy Alaska Association of Conservation Districts.