In southern Alberta one of the biggest limiting factors for reclamation is moisture. Being so dry, there is a small amount of seed germination each year on sites being reclaimed.
This factor prolongs the time for vegetation to establish well enough that it meets reclamation criteria standards. Hence the start of the Native Grass Plug Project. In 2020, Salix decided to do a pilot project on planting grass plugs to see how they would fare on native reclamation sites that needed that extra boost. Based on the positive results and the 2020 learnings, planting prescriptions and techniques were modified. This year we have expanded the program 4 times its original size and the crew has been hard at work getting these little grasslings into the ground before the promised rain this upcoming weekend. Time will tell, but so far this program is a positive step towards more rapid reclamation of native grass sites.
