March 4, 2011
Terra Technologies has successfully completed a challenging agrohistologic assessment of topsoil characteristics on behalf of BNSF Railway. Agrohistology involves the identification of plants by examination of plant tissue, including seeds. The effort served to identify suitable topsoil sources for use in the Conservation Corridor at the Kansas City Intermodal Facility so that the soil used in the restoration project contain the least weed seeds possible. Natural resource improvements in the Conservation Corridor are a provisional requirement for mitigation in satisfaction of the project’s Clean Water Act Section 404 permit authorization issued by the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Section 401 water quality certification from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Topsoil samples from adjacent farm property were collected at pre-determined locations at depths of 6 and 12-inches. Samples were analyzed under a microscope and in greenhouse trials to identify undesirable species including alien, invasive, and ruderal assemblages. From the endeavor, two specific areas of farm soil were found to contain extensive distributions of state-listed noxious species. As such, those soils will excluded from the approximately 300,000 cubic yards of high quality topsoil that will be excavated and placed in the Conservation Corridor by the project prime contractor.
For more information about agrohistology and its application in native plant restoration, contact your local office of Terra Technologies Inc.
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