U.S. 212 (Wyoming FH 4) Beartooth Highway Reconstruction Project

WEEDS: Before, During and After

Park County,
Wyoming Federal Highway Administration,
Central Federal Lands Highway Division
Liz Payson, 303.830.1188

Reconstruction Project

The Federal Highway Administration Central Federal Lands Highway Division (CFLHD), in cooperation with the Shoshone National Forest (SNF) and the National Park Service (NPS), anticipates reconstructing a segment of Wyoming Forest Highway 4, the Beartooth Highway, over the next 6 years. About 13 kilometers (8 miles) of this section of the road are in subalpine areas, and about 17 kilometers (11 miles) are in alpine areas on the Beartooth Plateau. The Beartooth Highway Reconstruction Project (Project) will include widening the roadway and realigning portions of it.

The SNF has made weed control on the Beartooth Plateau a priority and, as a result, the project area has very low densities of noxious weeds. Two goals of this Project are to maximize revegetative success and minimize the introduction of noxious weeds. The CFLHD believes that these goals can be best accomplished through the use of native plant species to revegetate disturbed areas. During project planning, the CFLHD conducted extensive revegetation tests, seed growout experiments, and has incorporated detailed revegetation plans and requirements in its construction plans and Special Contract Requirements (SCRs).

Revegetation and Seed Growout Tests

To identify techniques that better ensure revegetation success, the CFLHD established four sets of revegetation test plots on the Beartooth Plateau and has been monitoring these plots since 2000. The variables tested in the plots are topsoil salvaging, seeding rates, soil amendments, fertilizer reapplication, seed source (locally collected v. commercially available), slope aspect, surface mulch types, and sod transplanting. Data gathered from the revegetation test plots have been incorporated in the revegetation plans for the Project. To date, the CFLHD conducted three seed growout experiments to determine if collecting and growing out native seed (also known as a seed increase) is a cost-effective way to obtain sufficient quantities of native seed for the Project.

Species in the growout experiments included subalpine grasses, forbs, and sedges common on the Beartooth Plateau that are not commercially available, are commercially available only in small amounts, or are commercial varieties that did not originate in the Northern Rocky Mountains.

Roadway Design, Construction and Revegetation Plans

The CFLHD has invested considerable effort in developing revegetation plans for the Project to maximize revegetative success and to minimize the spread of noxious weeds. The design team, consisting of engineers, landscape architects, and revegetation and soil scientists from the CFLHD, SNF, YNP, and consultants to CFLHD, has incorporated context sensitive solutions into the roadway designs to limit disturbances along the highway during construction and future maintenance activities. The design team also developed SCRs for clearing and grubbing, salvaging plants and sod, and windrowing topsoil to ensure that revegetation is successful along the roadway. The contractor will also be required to develop and maintain a weed management plan. CFLHD and SNF staff are committed to ensuring, that weed management and revegetation plans are properly implemented both during and after construction.