RICHLAND, Wash. - EM Richland Operations Office (RL) contractor Mission Support Alliance (MSA) is changing the landscape when it comes to revegetation by using innovative planning and planting techniques.
As part of the long-term stewardship program, MSA monitors revegetated areas within 220 square miles of the Hanford Site, mostly along the Columbia River corridor. Select areas are replanted with native species and monitored for at least five years to determine if goals, including shrub density, native plant cover, and lack of invasive species, are being met.
Routine monitoring in 2017 identified revegetated areas where the plants were not thriving. MSA’s long-term stewardship and ecological monitoring and environmental surveillance groups developed an innovative and integrated approach to revegetate the poorly growing areas.
“With more than 140 acres that were not meeting the success criteria, we decided to take a closer look at how we could increase the chances of success," said Joy Shoemake, MSA’s land stewardship manager. “We used a variety of methods to ensure the best outcome for vegetation on the Hanford Site."
Workers considered different landscapes and site conditions to determine which plants, shrubs, and grasses were thriving in certain areas. They considered soil conditions and used results from a Hanford Site pollinator study when selecting plant species. This study identifies habitats with large bee populations on the Hanford Site.
Armed with this knowledge, the teams improved revegetation strategies and implemented supplemental planting for more than half of a 140-acre section to save areas of successful growth. They used the results of the pollinator study to create a specially formulated seed mix to encourage pollination and species diversity.
“With this project, MSA demonstrated the kind of forward thinking and innovation that we value," said Randall Krekel, RL land management program manager. “These new approaches will improve the sustainability of these habitats at Hanford."
The revegetation project will be completed this month, and MSA will closely monitor the results over the next few years to determine success rates and help refine future efforts.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
