achieved as favorable a rating as Wood's rose in all 

 areas of consideration except survival. 

 (The survival rate of the penstemons was ~ 50 percent, 

 which could probably be improved through better nursery 

 stock and planting techniques.) 



Survival rates of black chokecherry, Saskatoon ser- 

 viceberry, and ninebark were good on some sites; how- 

 ever, poor or mediocre performance of these species in 

 other rating categories, particularly size increase, affected 

 their standing in the overall ranking of test species. 

 Poor soil conditions and the harsh site environment 

 were the most probable factors affecting plant growth, 

 although the extremely small size of the plants received 

 for the second planting also influenced plant development. 



Blackcap, spirea, and thimbleberry were considered 

 suitable for selected sites due to good survival rates 

 and moderate growth. Redstem ceanothus did well in 

 all categories except survival and natural spread. Survival 

 may be enhanced if problems with planting stock were 

 overcome. 



Grasses, Legumes, and Shrubs 



The results of using grasses, legumes, and fertilizer 

 in conjunction with shrubs at selected sites were as 

 expected. Plots with no treatment sustained a ground 

 cover of 2 to 18 percent at the end of 4 years. Fertilized 

 plots had 4 to 25 percent cover. Those plots seeded 

 with grasses and legumes produced a cover of 9 to 44 

 percent. The highest average ground cover resulted on 

 plots treated with grasses, legumes, shrubs, and fertilizer. 

 Analysis of variance showed that grass and fertilizer 

 significantly influenced ground cover on only one cut 

 bank. Differences were not significant at other sites. 

 The appearance of the banks with grasses, legumes, 

 and shrubs was much better than those with bare soils 

 (fig. 13). 



Survival rates for shrubs planted on plots seeded 

 with grasses and legumes were as good or better than 

 for shrubs planted alone. Planting grasses and legumes 

 resulted in rapid development of ground cover and 

 protection against surface erosion while shrubs took 

 root. Birdsfoot-trefoil grew well, and provided an at- 

 tractive cover of prolific yellow blooms on all the seeded 

 cut banks (fig. 13). Seed crops were good, as evidenced 

 by the spreading and regeneration of new plants in 

 areas where it was not seeded. Smooth brome-grass 

 and orchard-grass also did well, especially on fill bank 

 sites. 



CONCLUSIONS 



Planting of native shrubs proved to be an effective 

 means of revegetating road cuts in northwestern Mon- 

 tana. Once established, esthetically pleasing flowers 

 contributed to the overall suitability of the shrub plant- 

 ings, while unattractiveness of many species as forage 

 insured their continued growth. 



Of the species studied, Wood's rose demonstrated 

 the best survivability and regeneration characteristics, 

 even on harsh sites. These findings concur with those 



Figure 13. — Grasses and legumes form a good 

 ground cover on this south slope 6 years after 

 planting. The area to the left in the photo was 

 not seeded or planted. Birdsfood-trefoil produced 

 numerous attractive yellow flowers and spread 

 naturally by seed. 



of Mason and others (1973), documenting the growth 

 of this species on severe road cuts in the Northern 

 Region of the Forest Service. 



Bush penstemon and lovely penstemon exhibited 

 good potential for use in revegetation. Spreading, re- 

 generation, and adaptability to both dry and moist sites 

 were excellent. Plummer (1977) and Monsen and 

 Christensen (1975) also found bush penstemon adaptable 

 to sites within the Intermountain Region. 



Several other species studied grew well, indicating 

 their usefulness in site revegetation. Species in this 

 category included thimbleberry and blackcap on south 

 aspects; redstem ceanothus and spirea on east aspects. 

 Red-osier dogwood did exceptionally well on south 

 aspects, considering that this species is a riparian 

 shrub. 



Mechanized planting methods are available for steep 

 road cuts, but may not be cost effective unless large 

 areas are treated. Hand planting and seeding techniques 

 will be very useful and quite effective where it is nec- 

 essary to revegetate road cuts or steep slopes on a 

 small scale. Hand-planting techniques are also more 

 easily adapted to fit the users' needs. 



A further concern is the availability of native shrubs 

 and seeds. Commercial nurseries can provide some 

 species, but special arrangements for seed collection 

 and propagation of other species may be necessary. 

 Advanced planning is necessary to select adapted species 

 and assure good condition of stock at planting time. 

 This planning can go a long way toward insuring the 

 ultimate success of a revegetation project. 



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