Successful highway right-of-way re-vegetation following construction and other disturbances of Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) lands requires the creation of the proper environmental conditions conducive to successful establishment and survival of reclamation vegetation. Roadside reclamation also requires the control of soil erosion and surface water runoff. Woolen reclamation products may have promising attributes that may make them superior to existing standard materials. Wool products may have higher water retention than standard materials and are biodegradable. Wool products may also contribute to soil nutrient composition because sheep wool consists of an estimated 15-17 percent nitrogen which acts as a slow release fertilizer as it decomposes. Wool reclamation materials, such as erosion control blankets (ECBs), are commercially produced and deployed along New Zealand roads. Unfortunately these products are not available to the US market and shipping from New Zealand is not economically feasible.

WTI will collaborate with the University of Alaska Fairbanks on the UTC for Environmentally Sustainable Transportation in Cold Climates (CESTiCC) project titled “Evaluation of Effectiveness and Cost-Benefits of Woolen Roadside Reclamation Products”. The project is jointly sponsored by the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT).   This project will work in conjunction with U.S. companies to develop and test woolen erosion control blankets (ECBs), wool silt fence and wool as an additive to compost to aid in the control of soil erosion and surface water runoff. The project will measure roadside vegetative establishment and soil erosion using newly developed U.S. wool reclamation products and compare these products to standard roadside reclamation analogs such as a coir-straw ECB, plastic silt fence and wood fiber compost. The preliminary results from the first year of field tests will be summarized. The project will also conduct cost-benefit analyses to see whether it is sensible to further develop any successful woolen products or if any are ready for deployment.