Development of a native plant prescription for urban hydro rights of way

Ontario Hydro commissioned a study to determine how to control tall woody vegetation on rights-of-way since trees cause power leakage and make maintenance difficult. The objective was to find an environmentally benign solution to the problem. The study assessed the feasibility of using seven different herbaceous species of prairie affinity on rights-of-way in urban areas. Tallgrass prairie has long been known to inhibit invasion of woody species. A total of 64 plots were prepared and sown using four different methods. Effectiveness of the program was assessed by collating the abundance of the seven sown species for each of the four methods and by soil analysis to measure changes in the population of viable seeds in the soil. Results showed that the most effective strategy to establish the widest variety of species was to apply a fertilizer (glyphosate) in the Fall, and sowing a mix of species soon after, followed by rototilling in the spring and sowing a different mix. Seedbank observations proved useful in showing huge numbers of viable seeds surviving after long periods (40 years) without soil disturbance,. 3 refs., 1 tab., 2 figs