Alpine roll sods for restoration at high altitudes

    Alpine roll sods for restoration at high altitudes

     

    A vegetation cover of at least 70 percent is well known to avoid erosion. Achieving this minimum value normally requires at least two annual vegetation cycles in high alpine regions. On heavily used alpine slopes (e.g. ski slopes), this slow rate of recovery could be insufficient and lead to progressive degradation and erosion of the terrain.

    A new method was introduced using site specific alpine sod rolls, surpassing the critical 70 percent mark within the moment of installation.

    Sods grown from site specific seeds were cultivated at Marchfeld, over a period of one year. The sods were harvested and laid at two skiing areas with different soil properties. A satisfying development of vegetation cover and therefore sufficient resistance to erosion up from the moment of laying was assessed on plots, where Alpine sod rolls were used for restoration. The results clearly showed that Alpine sod rolls could be a useful tool for successful and rapid restoration of heavily used, steep alpine slopes.