Planting Small Grains for Fish Habitat Improvement on Smith Lake

Alabama Power and U. S. Forest Service cooperated on fish habitat improvement project on Smith Lake.  This project involved planting small grain grass seed on soil exposed by low water levels on the lake.  If successful, the grass seed will grow and establish a stand of grass.  When water levels rise in the spring, the grass will be submerged and will provide macroinvertebrates and fish with valuable habitat.  More photos of the project are at this link.  These photos were made at the Houston Recreation Area boat ramp.

Loading pontoon with mulch, fertilizer, sticker,lime, and seed.

Mulch material.

Spraying mulch seed mix.

Joe Songer, AL.com, photographs the mulching operation.

Seed and mulch after application to bares soil.

Small grain seed embedded in the mulch.

Mike Clelland, Alabama Power, holds a photo of a successful planting that
has been flooded by rising water.  The submerged grass provides valuable
fish habitat.

Photo of successful planting before flooding.