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From page 12... ... Prioritization of invasive species control projects takes into consideration the extent of the area infested by the species, its impact, the ecological value of habitats invaded, the difficulty of control, and management costs. Species with the highest priority would be those known or suspected to be invasive but still in small numbers, species that can alter ecosystem processes, species that occur in areas of high conservation value, those imposing or with the potential to impose high costs on the DOT, and those that are likely to be controlled successfully. Read the entire page →
From page 13... ... Increasingly, measures are being taken to conserve valuable topsoil, instead of having it collected and sold by contractors, which leaves deficient soils that are more vulnerable to infestation by invasive species. DOTs are checking and treating permanent water control for West Nile Virus and considering inadvertent creation of such environments as part of current planning processes. Read the entire page →
From page 14... ... is identifying locations of its two top priority invasive species for treatment planning. At the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (Arkansas Highways) Read the entire page →
From page 15... ... INTEGRATED ROADSIDE VEGETATION MANAGEMENT IVM or IRVM can be considered an outgrowth and subset of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) that has evolved from pest management in agriculture and forestry over the past 30 to 40 years. Read the entire page →
From page 16... ... Minnesota Department of Transportation Process for Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management Planning Mn/DOT's process for IRVM planning is detailed in the Minnesota Best Practices on Roadside Vegetation Management and summarized here (30) Read the entire page →
From page 17... ... • Collect pertinent data, such as costs, vegetation (existing and desired) , available personnel, and resources -- This step includes reviewing records of current maintenance operations and taking an inventory of current roadside vegetation conditions. Read the entire page →
From page 18... ... • How plants and communities can be manipulated to control the rate and direction of plant succession through interference, grazing, and other mechanisms. 18 Step 2: Set management objectives and tolerance levels -- Tolerance levels are specific descriptions of vegetation conditions -- individual plant and plant community size, abundance, and composition -- that, if exceeded, trigger a need to intervene. Read the entire page →
From page 19... ... 2c. Are you proactive in vegetation management (e.g., treat vegetation in concert with tolerance levels, with decisions based on inventory and planning) Read the entire page →
From page 20... ... RESOURCES FOR INTEGRATED VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLANNING Appendix D includes detailed information on Integrated Vegetation Management Planning. The interagency gateway to invasive species control programs and tools, on the Internet, has a list of management plans that have been developed in each state and by each species. Read the entire page →
From page 21... ... • Link non-native species to ecological systems. • Develop more invasive species management information. Read the entire page →
From page 22... ... Cases have been reported where one invasive species replaces another, following an effort to eradicate the primary target. Successful eradication programs tend to involve: • Small, geographically limited populations of nonindigenous species that are the easiest to eliminate. Read the entire page →
From page 23... ... . Once the plan specified in the executive order is completed, NEPA analyses rely on each state's noxious weed list to define the invasive plants that must be addressed and the measures to be implemented to minimize their harm (57) Read the entire page →
From page 24... ... Considering invasive species issues as early as possible is important so that long-term invasive species control strategies can be implemented during maintenance operations, as appropriate, before project construction. • During project planning, for federally funded projects, complete NEPA checklist and conduct preliminary assessment of priority invasive species issues (plants and animals) Read the entire page →
From page 25... ... Sites could include road and trail ROWs and other areas of disturbed soils. • Minimize soil disturbance -- Owing to the nature of invasive plants to rapidly colonize areas of disturbed soil, out-compete native species, and become firmly established very quickly, it is essential to minimize areas of soil disturbance. Read the entire page →
From page 26... ... Provide for follow-up treatments based on inspection results. • Ditching -- Many priority invasive plants prefer moist soil conditions and are tolerant of saline environments; therefore, they grow very well in highway drainage ditches and other components of the drainage system. Read the entire page →
From page 27... ... – Landfill -- If harvested invasive plant parts or spoil material containing invasive plant material is not composted or buried, it should be transported directly to a sanitary landfill for proper disposal. • Bridge washing -- All bridge washing activities, whether for biannual maintenance or in preparation for repainting, require the use of water. Read the entire page →
From page 28... ... . When reviewing models of EDRR from oil spills to fire to invasive species and diseases, some of the general features associated with effective EDRR programs are (18) Read the entire page →
From page 29... ... For example, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is collaborating with local Coordinated WMAs and the state of Wyoming to test the different elements of the FICMNEW EDRR plan for invasive plants. Read the entire page →
From page 30... ... . Over a 5-year period, FICMNEW developed a Conceptual Design for a National EDRR System for Invasive Plants, after deciding that EDRR is the most cost-effective and environmentally sound approach to addressing invasive species. Read the entire page →
From page 31... ... . Although statewide tracking of invasive species is relatively uncommon, the Maryland State Highway Administration tracks the location and quantities of certain invasive species on ROWs statewide. Read the entire page →
From page 32... ... Collecting information in this manner facilitates entry into a Regional Invasive Species GIS Project. Each Regional Maintenance Environmental Coordinator receives electronic copies of the NYSDOT Invasive Species Inventory database and copies of the NYSDOT Inventory Data Collection Forms attached in Appendix C of this document. Read the entire page →
From page 33... ... • Invasive species monitoring resources from the National Park Service, which also provides information and links on prevention and early detection, prioritization tools, databases, references and invasive species bibliographies, and much more. • Guidelines for Terrestrial Noxious Weed Mapping and Inventory in Idaho. Read the entire page →
From page 34... ... • Tracking of species condition and progress may occur. MONITORING AND FOLLOW-UP Monitoring the numbers of a pest species killed or removed is a measure of the work being done, but is not a measure of invasive species control. Read the entire page →
From page 35... ... When using WIMS on a hand-held unit with an ArcPad interface, a site manager can use background imagery and other GIS layers for mapping weeds, then upload the new data into the Access database automatically. Utah Department of Transportation's ROADVEG Geographic Information System UDOT's vegetation management professionals use the ROADVEG system, a GIS, to inventory invasive plants along with other transportation-related data. Read the entire page →
From page 36... ... Based on the potential for environmental harm, certain restrictions were developed for each mile of highway. This information was then placed on restricted activity zone maps, which were designed to alert ODOT staff to specific locations of sensitive natural resource features to avoid inadvertently harming wildlife or wetlands when performing routine maintenance practices, such as slope maintenance, snow removal, and vegetation management. Read the entire page →
From page 37... ... Army Corps of Engineers. ODOT's Resource and Restricted Activity Zone Maps were also key to negotiation of programmatic consultation for maintenance operation activities with the National Marine Fisheries Service (now NOAA Fisheries) Read the entire page →

From page 12...

... Prioritization of invasive species control projects takes into consideration the extent of the area infested by the species, its impact, the ecological value of habitats invaded, the difficulty of control, and management costs. Species with the highest priority would be those known or suspected to be invasive but still in small numbers, species that can alter ecosystem processes, species that occur in areas of high conservation value, those imposing or with the potential to impose high costs on the DOT, and those that are likely to be controlled successfully.