Editor’s Note: This is part two of a three-blog series focused on OWC’s restoration process, from concept to completion. Our projects at Beaver Creek serve as a sort of ‘case study’ to illustrate these steps. We hope it will shed some light on the hard work that goes into our restoration sites, and inspire you to volunteer at a future event!

Rough and Loose treatment may look shocking and messy at first glance, but it is often a necessary step of restoring degraded ecosystems. In this blog, we describe the methods behind this seeming madness!

While seemingly messy and shocking, there is method to the madness! Rough and loose treatment decompacts soils and sets the stage for restoration. Images: Marina Krainer, Ghost Watershed Alliance Society. — *While seemingly messy and shocking, there is method to the madness! Rough and loose treatment decompacts soils and sets the stage for restoration. Images: Marina Krainer,* *Ghost Watershed Alliance Society*.

An experienced gardener knows that before you plant your flowers or shrubs, it is necessary to prepare your beds. The same goes for a restoration site—in order to be successful, we have to work from the ground up. This means starting with the substrate and soil.

“Soil is made up of particles of sand, silt and clay. Healthy soil also contains organic matter, and diverse microbial and insect life. As important are the tiny air spaces between the soil particles called pores. Air pores make up as much as half of the volume of healthy soil. These pores allow air and water to move through the soil.

Compacted soil is dense, with few to no air pores. Compacted soil holds very little water and has less biological life. Root growth is restricted and plants are unable to take up air, water and nutrients.”

University of Saskatchewan (2018). Soil Compaction.
https://gardening.usask.ca/article-list-soils/soil-compaction.php

Soil might have become compacted by excessive foot, livestock, or vehicle traffic, or a combination of all three. Excessive traffic starts wearing down paths through the vegetation. People and animals tend to take the path of least resistance, so traffic continues along these trails, and over time, the path is degraded into bare ground where it is incredibly difficult for plants to grow (picture the footpaths worn into lawns as people take shortcuts off the sidewalk). Eventually—even if the traffic stops—plants cannot grow because the ground is too densely packed and hard. Water cannot soak into the ground, and instead, flows overland and downhill, often picking up sediment. Eventually, the water ends up in local streams. During a site restoration, we want to plant vegetation that will help slow the flow of water, stabilize the soil, and filter runoff. And as the experienced gardener knows, we must loosen or de-compact the soil before our plants will grow.

At this site along Beaver Creek, the designated trail to the bridge is on the right. Above it, on the slope, repeated OHV traffic has created numerous trails that have become compacted due to heavy use. Machinery was used to “rough and loose” these … — At this site along Beaver Creek, the designated trail to the bridge is on the right. Above it, on the slope, repeated OHV traffic has created numerous trails that have become compacted due to heavy use. Machinery was used to “rough and loose” these nondesignated trails, being careful not to disturb the living vegetation. *Photo by Jon Martin © 2020.*

Rough and Loose Treatment

“Rough and loose” is the term used to describe the process of de-compacting the substrate (the underlying layers of material like rocks and soil). Depending on the size and terrain of the site, decompaction could take place with hand tools like shovels and pick-axes, or larger machinery like a backhoe or excavator. The soil is loosened by digging holes in the substrate, and then dumping the loosened material between the holes, taking care not to disturb any living plants or tree roots (David Polster provides more detail here). It is best to start at the far end of the site and work your way back to the start, so that you don’t re-compact the soil when moving machinery onsite. The result looks like a mess of chewed-up landscape, but it actually serves many purposes, which are discussed below.

At Beaver Creek, heavy machinery was used to “rough and loose” the substrate of a couple of non-designated trails so that they could be revegetated with native seeds and shrubs. While this may look destructive, it’s actually an important step to pre… — At Beaver Creek, heavy machinery was used to “rough and loose” the substrate of a couple of non-designated trails so that they could be revegetated with native seeds and shrubs. While this may look destructive, it’s actually an important step to prepare the compacted, bare ground for restoration. The operator started at the farthest end of the trail and worked backwards so as not to re-compact the loosened substrate with his machine. *Photo: Oldman Watershed Council © 2020*

This is the start of that same non-designated trail at Beaver Creek. You can see the difference between the compacted ground (in the foreground), and the segment of nondesignated trail after “rough and loose” treatment had been applied (behind the r… — This is the start of that same non-designated trail at Beaver Creek. You can see the difference between the compacted ground (in the foreground), and the segment of nondesignated trail after “rough and loose” treatment had been applied (behind the rail). Unless the soil is loosened to allow roots and water to infiltrate, restoration cannot be successful. *Photo: Oldman Watershed Council © 2020.*

Benefits of Rough and Loose Treatment

Prevents overland flow: The mini dips and hills collect and store water, slowing down the flow of water over land.
Promotes infiltration of water: The loosened substrate allows the water to infiltrate slowly, rather than running off the surface and away - in this way, rough and loose treatment helps hold water in the soil, which benefits vegetation.
Prevents erosion: By slowing the flow of water over land, and promoting infiltration rather than runoff, the substrate/soil isn’t scoured and eroded away by precipitation. Sediment is kept in the ground and out of water bodies.
Provides diverse habitat: The bumpy terrain creates little micro-climates of north- and south-facing slopes, each with its own sun and wind exposure. They provide sheltered pockets in which seedlings can germinate and grow.
All of these benefits—slowing and holding water, keeping sediment in place, and providing varied terrain—work together allow the soil to build up or improve over time, making a more favourable habitat for plant communities to establish.

“Making restoration sites rough and loose is the simplest way to create a variety of microsites for seeds to lodge in and seedlings to germinate. In addition to the erosion control benefits of rough and loose soil surfaces, the uneven texture of the surface helps to trap wind-borne seed and to provide crevices and small places where seed can lodge. The establishment of seedlings is one of the most sensitive stages in the life cycle of plants. By creating a rough loose substrate, a variety of micro-habitats is provided that helps protect the young plants at this tender stage of growth.””

— David Polster

Once the substrate is nice and rough and loose, it is ready for planting and/or bioengineering—the topic of our third and final blog in this series. Stay tuned!