Critical and Disturbed Areas

Updated 03/19/2009

Highly disturbed areas, such as those associated with minelands, saline sites, roadsides and highly acidic sites, are very susceptible to invasion by noxious weeds. Several PMCs are evaluating native plants which are especially adapted to these difficult sites to help prevent infestation by noxious weeds such as knapweed species, Canada thistle and cogongrass.

Difficult environmental conditions, eroding streambanks, land impacted by wildfires, mineland reclamation sites, arid rangelands, require finding the right plants for the job. The Plant Materials Program is a nationwide network of 27 Plant Materials Centers and 17 Plant Materials Specialists, based in ecologically distinct service areas.  Together, these centers and specialists seek out plants and state-of-the-art technology to restore critical habitats, mitigate environmental concerns, and sustain healthy natural resources.

Related Publications

• Publications Relating to Critical Areas
• Publications Relating to Wildfire Restoration
• Publications Relating to Minelands
• Publications Relating to Seeding and Planting
• Publications by Plant Materials Centers
• Related Publications by Topic

Below are a few examples of related publications, for the complete list please go to Publications Relating to Critical Areas.

If you encounter any problems with the files provided on this page, please contact Leslie Glass at 701-250-4330.

These documents require Acrobat Reader.

The Use of Native Warm Season Grasses for Critical Area Stabilization. (PDF; 36 KB) Miller, C.F. and J.A. Dickerson. 1999. Proceedings of the Second Eastern Native Grass Symposium, Nov. 17-19, 1999, Baltimore, MD, Baltimore, MD. 7p. (ID# 405)

Ten years of testing indigenous plant material on drastically disturbed land in western Montana. (PDF; 436 KB) Majerus, S. etal. 2005. Watershed Day, Helena, Montana, Bozeman, MT. 1p. (ID# 6009)

Features

• Rebuilding New Orleans (9/27/2005)
  He knew it would happen eventually, a hurricane with the destructive impact of Katrina, but Gary Fine, manager of the Plant Materials Center (PMC) in Golden Meadow, Louisiana had hoped he would have a few more years to get the word out. 
• November 2005 Plant Solutions Newsletter:  2005 Hurricane Season  Proves to be Important Test for Plants as a First Defense Against Severe Storms (11/1/2005)
  After Hurricane Katrina swept through the Mississippi delta region last August, and a few weeks after Hurricane Rita came ashore in September, Gary Fine, manager of the Golden Meadow Plant Materials Center (PMC), which is situated on the delta, did not expect to find much remaining of the work recently completed...
  

Related Web Sites

• Related Web Sites by Topic

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