Roadside Use of Native Plants

This handbook offers managers of roadsides and adjacent lands the information and background they need to make site-specific decisions about what kinds of native plants to use. It also addresses basic techniques and misconceptions about using native plants.

Originally published by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Office of Natural Environment to promote the planting and care of native plants along highway rights-of-way, this unique handbook provides managers of roadsides and adjacent lands with the information and background they need to make site-specific decisions about what kinds of native plants to use, and addresses basic techniques and misconceptions about using native plants. It brings together in a single volume a vast array of detailed information that has, until now, been scattered and difficult to find. The book opens with eighteen short essays on principles of ecological restoration and management from leading experts in the field including Reed F. Noss, J. Baird Callicott, Peggy Olwell, and Evelyn Howell. Following that is the heart of the book, more than 500 pages of comprehensive state-by-state listings that offer: - a colour map for each state with natural vegetations zones clearly marked - comprehensive lists of native plants, broken down by type of plant (grasses, forbs, trees, etc.) and including both scientific and common names, with each list having been verified for completeness and accuracy by the state's natural heritage program - contact names, addresses, and phone numbers for obtaining current information on invasive and noxious species to be avoided - resources for more information, including contact names and addresses for local experts in each state - The appendix adds definitions, bibliography, and policy citations to clarity any debates about the purpose and the direction of the use of native plants on roadsides. Roadside Use of Native Plants is a one-of-a-kind reference whose utility extends far beyond the roadside, offering a toolbox for a new aesthetic that can be applied to all kinds of public and private land. It can help lead the way to a cost-effective ecological approach to managing human-designed landscapes, and is an essential book for anyone interested in establishing or restoring native vegetation.