Most trees flourished in soils containing up to 18% crude (unrefined) petroleum (by weight). Abundant root networks in heavily contaminated soil provided strong indirect evidence of rhizosphere degradation stimulated by the plants.

In 2001, Sand Creek Consultants, Inc. was contacted by the US EPA to assess the potential for hybrid poplar phytoremediation at the Indiana Harbors Shipping Canal Site in northwestern Indiana. Two subsequent years of in-field feasibility testing left the finding that hybrid poplars were an effective means of riparian phytoremediation in these heavily contaminated soils. Pest damage was a significant hindrance to the project, and added to the lessons learned for this type of application.

Link to Sand Creek Consultants, Inc. PowerPoint Presentation for this project: www.epa.gov/oilspill/pdfs/nega-rogpresent.pdf