4 MISC. PUBLICATION 303, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



EVALUATION OF PLANTS FOR EROSION CONTROL AND WILDLIFE 



Knowing that it is the, surface layer of the soil that is susceptible 

 to erosion and that root systems may therefore be largely neglected 

 except as they serve to hold plants in place, the plant characteristics 

 that are useful in erosion control may be indicated. In considering 

 these it should be kept in mind that as land on which planting is to 

 be done may have a certain value, species that produce a valuable crop 

 as well as furnish erosion control should be used whenever possible. 

 The qualifications of plants valuable in erosion control may be sum- 

 marized as follows : 



1. Such plants must be able to thrive under the climatic conditions 

 and in the soil in which they are to be grow T n ; and they must be able 

 to hold their own in competition with other plants. 



2. The farther their stolons, suckers, or rhizomes spread, or the 

 more matted the condition of their growth, the greater space they 

 will cover and the more soil they may be expected to hold in place. 

 Thicket-forming or mat-forming plants or those that root from 

 decumbent or declined branches, or that form suckers or root shoots 

 are of this class. 



3. With tall-growing plants, the more litter they produce and the 

 greater the water-holding capacity of the litter, the more effectively 

 will the plants control erosion. 



4. The bushier the plants, the denser their foliage, and the nearer 

 evergreen they are, the more protection from wind and rain they will 

 offer to the soil. 



5. The plants should be comparatively easy to propagate. If they 

 can be purchased on the open market they are often easier to obtain 

 for planting. 



6. The more rapid-growing species will provide protection sooner 

 than slower-growing species. 



7. If plants furnish food and cover for wildlife, their usefulness is 

 increased through the aid they give in conserving the valuable wild- 

 life resource. 



8. The possession of such characteristics as resistance to grazing, 

 drought, insect damage, and diseases, and the ability to grow rapidly 

 on and to tolerate many kinds of soil, particularly alkaline, acid, 

 saline, barren, or sterile soil, is valuable. 



9. The production of some crop, as timber, pulpwood, tannin, sugar, 

 dye, comestible or ornamental fruit, or ornamental flowers enhances 

 the value of erosion-control plants. 



10. Resistance to fire or ability to coppice after burning or cutting 

 enables plants to maintain a cover othewise easily destroyed. 



Leopold (366) has discussed the properties that make plants valu- 

 able as winter cover for game. The first and most important char- 

 acter is dense winter foliage or thorns, preferably close to the ground 

 Second, species easily propagated, and hence easy to establish, are 

 those that can be propagated by stem or root cuttings. This gives, 

 he says, a great advantage to such plants as Osage-orange, willows, 

 grapes, plum, and roses. The third important property is vigor. This 

 includes ability to reproduce by sprouts if cut or burned, ability to 

 spread by means of root sprouts, and ability to make quick growth. 

 Next comes resistance to grazing, drought, shade, and fire. Finally,; 



