RestoreNet V2.0

 RestoreNet Version 2.0

This summer, we started installing our second set of treatments into our restoration field trial network. The focus of these treatments is to understand if restoration outcomes can be enhanced by increasing beneficial soil microbial communities in degraded soils. For the experiment, we gathered soil at reference sites near seven of the RestoreNet experiment locations in undisturbed, intact plant communities. After gathering the soil, we enhanced the amount of beneficial soil microbes in the greenhouse before applying the soil at the RestoreNet locations and using it to form seed balls, which also contained seed and clay. The new treatments test these treatments, along with pitting (small depressions in the ground that capture soil moisture) that worked the best in RestoreNet Version 1.0. We are using a new seed mix that is a collection of the best performing species from the RestoreNet Version 1.0. Seven out of the 24 RestoreNet sites already received this new treatment, and six more sites will receive the treatment late this fall.

Find out more about RestoreNet and read publications from the project here.