Dryland agricultural restoration research: 2023-2024, Boulder, CO.

Thanks to a grant from the City of Boulder, ER is working in partnership with AloTerra Restoration Services to evaluate no-till dryland crops capable of competing with pioneer weeds in an abandoned agricultural plot in the plains of Boulder, CO. Following guiding principles of ecological restoration, such as the intermediate disturbance hypothesis and succession science, three seed mixes were designed and sown with no-till methods in 2023. Plant community responses were assessed using the line-point intercept method, and ER is analyzing data in the Fall of ’23. Project goals include increasing foil fertility, minimize exogenous inputs, raise farm profitability, diversity native and agricultural plant communities.