ABSTRACT 7th International Symposium on Environmental Concerns in Rights-of-Way Management
TITLE:	Long-Term Vegetation Development on Bioengineered Right-of-Way Sites
AUTHOR(S):	David F. Polster - gsingleton@seaside.net Polster Environmental Services Duncan, BC, Canada
Soil bioengineering has been used for the treatment of steep and / or unstable rights-of-way sites for many years (Schiechtl, 1980). Although these techniques can provide initial stability, the question of long term stability of soil bioengineered sites has not been addressed. Pioneering plants such as willows are used for soil bioengineering. These provide an environment in which later successional species can invade. As this transition takes place the later successional species must take over the stabilizing function from the pioneering plants. Slope buttressing, soil arching and root reinforcement are the three principle means of slope support provided by these later successional species (Gray and Leiser, 1982). These must replace the structural support provided by the soil bioengineering structures to avoid collapse of the slope. This paper explores the transition from the initial support provided by soil bioengineering treatments to the long-term slope support provided by the later successional species. Right-of-way sites such as along a new railroad corridor, pipeline corridor and highway right-of-way where soil bioengineering was used to provide initial stability have been investigated to determine the nature of the transition from this initial stability to long term stability. Examples are drawn from British Columbian sites. Keywords: Soil bioengineering, steep slopes, unstable slopes, plant succession, soil erosion Ref#: 2-11