| Entry # | 557 |
| Title | Choosing Appropriate Vegetation for Salt-Impacted Roadways, Article 38 in The Practice of Watershed Protection |
| Author(s) | Ohrel, R. | Date | 2000 |
| Publisher | Center for Watershed Protection |
| Hyperlink |
| Contact | Center for Watershed Protection |
| 8391 Main Street |
| Ellicott City | MD | 21043 |
| Phone | 4104618323 | Fax | 4104618324 |
| center@cwp.org |
| Website | www.cwp.org |
| Summary: |
| This article summarizes two recent studies in Minnesota and Ontario which found that |
| winter use of road salt can exert a significant impact on roadside vegetative communities. |
| Since most locations still rely on salt as a primary deicing agent, designers need to |
| consider the selection of salt-tolerant roadside vegetation. The extensive use of road salt |
| can reduce biomass, diversity, or density of roadside vegetation communities. Plant |
| species able to withstand the physiological stress imposed by road salts should be |
| selected for areas where such stress is expected. Similarly, existing plant communities |
| need to be assessed before adjacent roads are treated by deicing agents. |