Vineland Research and Innovation Centre

Jason Henry, M.Sc.

September 27, 2016

Greening Canada’s Highways

Vineland Research and Innovation

• Typical lifespan of a tree along a roadside is

5–10 years

• To obtain the maximum ecological benefit, the

tree must reach full canopy

– Typically around 20–30 years

Tree survival in unmaintained areas

• In 2008, the project initiated looking at

production practices

• In 2013, the project changed direction, looking

at site preparation before planting

• In 2014, the project expanded to include sites

in Alberta

• In 2015, with a total of 13 sites, interest from a

variety of municipalities and organizations

Greening Canada’s Highways

Project Timeline

Greening Canada’s Highways

Ontario

13 Ontario research sites

Highway of Heroes

New specifications for the MTO

Planting recommendations for 35 species

• Road salt

• Drought/ no irrigation

• Pollution

• Species selection

• Soil compaction

Major Drivers for Tree Morality

.hort.ufl.edu/woody/root-defects16.shtml

Natural Soil Profiles

Forest Soil ProfileTypical Soil Profile

O – Organic Materials

A – Topsoil

B – Subsoil

C –Weather Rock

R – Rock http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/pages/124

Urban Soil Profiles

http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=5410517

The Goal

Speeding up the Primary Succession Process

www.cruickshankgroup.com

www.forestryimages.org http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/pages/124

www.globe-views.com

The Middle

• Kick start the soil

• De-compact soil

• Add organic matter

to soil

Highway Soil Bulk Density vs Forest BD

Ontario findings

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.0

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Bd

(g c

m-3

)

Organic Matter (%)

HighwaySoil

Site Results

• Poor growth

• Poor survival

• Low available moisture

• Soil erosion

“Standard Practice” planting trial

• Highly compacted , fine silt and clay soils

• Low amount of organic matter

Forest data provided by Trent University

• Compromise – reducing tree stress without significantly

increasing costs

• How much remediation is required at a highway site?

Soil Remediation

Compromising to Allow Trees to Survive and Grow

• Soil remediation

– Deep-ripping to a depth of 90 cm

– Addition of organic amendment (municipal compost)

– Mixing of the amendment to a depth of 30 cm with a rotary spader

Soil Remediation Trial

2014 Trial

Treatment Methods

1 Control

2 OA (High) in PH

3 Deep-Ripping

4 Deep-Ripping + OA (Low)

5 Deep-Ripping + OA (Medium)

6 Deep-Ripping + OA (High)

* OA – Organic Amendment

* PH – Planting Hole

Building a healthier soil

Deep-ripping Addition of Organic Amendment Rotary Spader

Compaction versus Remediation

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.0

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Bulk

Density (

g c

m-3

)

Loss-on-Ignition (%)

Forest Soil

2014 Treatment 1 - 0-30 cm

2015 Treatment 1 - 0-30 cm

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.0

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Bulk

Density (

g c

m-3

)

Loss-on-Ignition (%)

Forest Soil

2014 Treatment 2 - 0-30 cm

2015 Treatment 2 - 0-30 cm

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.0

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Bulk

Density (

g c

m-3

)

Loss-on-Ignition (%)

Forest Soil

2014 Treatment 3 - 0-30 cm

2015 Treatment 3 - 0-30 cm

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.0

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Bulk

Density (

g c

m-3

)

Loss-on-Ignition (%)

Forest Soil

2014 Treatment 4 - 0-30 cm

2015 Treatment 4 - 0-30 cm

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.0

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Bulk

Density (

g c

m-3

)

Loss-on-Ignition (%)

Forest Soil

2014 Treatment 5 - 0-30 cm

2015 Treatment 5 - 0-30 cm

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.0

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Bulk

Density (

g c

m-3

)

Loss-on-Ignition (%)

Forest Soil

2014 Treatment 6 - 0-30 cm

2015 Treatment 6 - 0-30 cm

T1: Control/Standard planting practice

T2: Excavate and backfill with amended soil

T3: Deep-ripping 0 % compost

T4: Deep-ripping plus 10 % compost

T5: Deep-ripping plus 25 % compost

T6: Deep-ripping plus 50 % compost

Control

Depth Bulk Density

0-10 1.45

20-30 1.71

40-50 1.61

Growth 7.6 cm

Organics in PH

Depth Bulk Density

0-10 1.30

20-30 1.48

40-50 1.72

Growth 18.1 cm

Deep-ripping + 0%

Depth Bulk Density

0-10 1.59

20-30 1.71

40-50 1.85

Growth 13.8 cm

Deep-ripping + 10%

Depth Bulk Density

0-10 1.32

20-30 1.42

40-50 1.64

Growth 25.0 cm

Deep-ripping + 25 %

Depth Bulk Density

0-10 1.17

20-30 1.30

40-50 1.53

Growth 44.6 cm

Deep-ripping + 50 %

Depth Bulk Density

0-10 0.66

20-30 1.21

40-50 1.52

Growth 38.5 cm

2016 Drought: Stress Responses

Chlorophyll Content

5

10

15

20

25

30

24-Jun 06-Jul 22-Jul 09-Aug 29-Aug 09-Sep

SPA

D U

NIT

S

Control

Pit + 50 % Compost

Deep-ripping + 0% Compost

Deep-ripping + 10% Compost

Deep-ripping + 25% Compost

Deep-ripping + 50% Compost

July Precipitation

36 mm

August Precipitation

75 mm

Conclusions to date

• Soil remediation using composted material improves

tree survival

– critical two-yr post-transplant window

– Reduces tree stress in drought

• Tree establishment is improved

– Improved tree growth

• Long-term impact of improved soil management

practices in urban landscaping activities

– Biomass cycling, rate of degradation of organic matter,

stability of bulk density levels over time through the soil

profile

Acknowledgements

This project was supported by the Canadian Ornamental Horticulture

Alliance (COHA) research and innovation cluster and is funded in part

through the AgriInnovation Program under Growing Forward 2 (GF2). GF2

is a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. The Agricultural Adaptation

Council assists COHA in the delivery of this research and innovation

cluster.

Partners

Thank you to our partners!

Alberta Ministry of

Transportation

Alberta Newsprint Company

City of Airdrie

City of Calgary

City of Edmonton

City of London

Landscape Alberta Nursery

Trades Association

Landscape Ontario

Sheridan Nurseries

Terratec Environmental Ltd.

The Ontario Ministry of

Transportation

Uxbridge Nurseries

Veteran’s Memorial Parkway

Community Program

Walker Environmental Inc.

Walker Industry Holding Ltd.

Thank You

Jason Henry

Research Technician, Nursery & Landscape

Jason.Henry@vinelandresearch.com