An Analytical Study on the Revegetation Methods for Highway Slopes

A variety of revegetation methods are being utilized and developed. However, most of revegetation methods used on highway slopes in Korea are based on foreign-introduced plant varieties to stabilize road surfaces and to administer afforestation for surface covering at an earlier phase. Therefore. it results in various problems. such as failure to achieve harmony with the surrounding vegetation and 10 cause re-denudation of slopes as the foreign-in introduced plant varieties wane out from 2~3 years after hydro-seeding, etc. In addition, some of the revegetation plants seeded in the earlier phase grow excessively high, thus causes successional problems, such as to inhibit the invasion of the secondary vegetation from the surrounding areas, etc. Therefore, in this study, 160 slopes located in the nationwide express highways have been investigated and analyzed in order to produce basic data for restoration of ecological environment in slopes created on a long-term basis by investigating and analyzing locational characteristics of cut and filled slopes in express highways, status of revegetation methods, characteristics of soil and plant-ecological environment. 1. Investigation on cut and embanked slopes in express highways was carried out in the total of 160 locations, which include 108 cut slopes and 52 embanked slopes. As a whole, the most frequently used revegetation method was seed spray, which was found to be used in the total of 55 target slops investigated. 2. Planting method of Wistaria floribunda applied to some of the blasted rock zones was found to cause damages as Wistaria floribunda trailed up the surrounding vegetation and the secondary invaded trees. In order to prevent this, this method must be used only in the lowest parts of large-sized slopes. Also, it will be required to administer continuous management and maintenance in the areas already planted with this plants. 3. The areas of blasted rock and ripping rock slopes were applied with coir net (net + seeding) method. However, many of these areas failed in achieving ground covering. Most areas where revegetation was in progress, they were covered with Eragrostis curvula(Weeping lovegrass) only. In areas with soil, such as decomposition of granite, where afforestation is difficult. In this slopes, soil base must be improved by hrdroseeding with thin-layer vegetation base application methods in order to achieve success in afforestation with native plants. 4. Woody species, rather than herb species, are more helpful in stabilization of slope surfaces. Therefore, it is important to be able to grow and protect woody species on highway slopes. Growth of woody vegetation is most largely influenced by soil depth. Thus, when hydro-seeding woody plants, it is recommended to apply at the upper layer of the slopes, which is capable to sufficiently provide the fundamentals required in plant growth.