[APWG] CalTrans alternatives

[Jennifer Kalt]

Indeed, CalTrans has experimented with lots of alternatives in Region 1, 
mostly in Humboldt/Mendocino Counties, due to residents' strong 
opposition to herbicide use. I am usually shocked when I see the routine 
spraying along roadsides outside of northwest California, especially 
since salmonids are so heavily impacted by herbicides, sand highways 
often carry these chemicals to streams via roadside ditches. Mostly 
CalTrans mows here, which seems to work well. I have heard similar 
stories about the acetic acid to those that have been shared 
here--equipment damage etc. But CalTrans mostly deals with veg. mgmt. 
from the pint of view of road managers looking to reduce all vegetation 
for improved visibility--not so much focused on weed management, 
although that is a concern. Rare plants along roadsides are also 
impacted by herbicides, especially when spraying is done without 
consultation with local biologists as should always be done according to 
state and federal environmental standards.

Caltrans in Region 1 has a committee that deals with these issues:
DISTRICT ROADSIDE VEGETATION MANAGEMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE (DRVMAC)
For more info, contact
Bob Melendez, Caltrans, District 1
District Landscape Specialist
Office phone: (707) 445-6391
Fax: (707) 441-2025

-- 
Jennifer Kalt
Conservation Chair
Norh Coast Chapter
California Native Plant Society
P.O. Box 1067
Arcata, CA  95518
http://northcoastcnps.org/

The California Native Plant Society's mission is to preserve and protect 
native plants in their natural habitats.


Craig Dremann wrote:
> Dear Carole and All,
> 
> In California, our DOT, Caltrans, has promised to lower their roadside
> herbicide spraying by 80% by 2010.  Caltrans is already permanently at
> zero for all of Humboldt County since 1999, and have put in place a
> temporary zero roadside herbicide spray policy for the next three years
> for all of Santa Cruz County.
> 
> You might contact the Caltrans Districts maintenance director that
> manages Humboldt County (D-1, Eureka), and the director in Santa Cruz
> County, to see what they've come up with as alternatives.
> 
> About 6 years ago, Caltrans was experimenting with developing a safe
> "alternative" to the usual herbicides, and they funding research with UC
> Davis at their Hopland, California Experiment Station, to come up with a
> "natural" or fairly non-toxic herbicide.  
> 
> I think that acetic acid and corn glutin were both looked at as
> possibilities, but I don't think either product worked sufficiently well
> for the agency to use either of them into widespread use.
> 
> What we're finding here in California, is that for exotic terrestrial
> weeds, most herbicides are useless---because all of lower elevation
> California is 99.999% infested with over 1,000 species of exotics.  If
> you eradicate one exotic, another one is waiting on the side to take
> over once you've finished.
> 
> The only option, is to use Ecological Restoration techniques to restore
> the native local ecosystem understory, with at least two and ideally a
> dozen local native plant species.  
> 
> That's why a huge investment needs to be made to invent the Ecological
> Restoration technologies to get the job done right the first time, and
> skip this thrashing around for an herbicide alternative.   
> 
> There's an outline on how to get started with dry-land ecological
> restoration at http://www.ecoseeds.com/standards.html and also a talk on
> ecological restoration vs. exotics at http://www.ecoseeds.com/talk.html
> 
> I was surveying the Wash. DC to Delaware corridor in 2000 when I was out
> teaching a class on native plants for roadsides to the Delaware DOT, and
> I was shocked to see how the eastern native grass and herbaceous plant
> understory has been so completely hosed, just like in the West. 
> Probably close to 99% extinguished. 
> 
> The only place where I found a decent understory was at the edge of the
> Great Falls in Maryland, probably because when the sheep and cows 200
> years ago heard the rushing water, it made them too afraid to graze
> right next to the edge of the gorge!
> 
> Sincerely, Craig Dremann, Redwod City, Ca (650) 325-7333
> 
> _______________________________________________
> APWG mailing list
> APWG at lists.plantconservation.org
> http://lists.plantconservation.org/mailman/listinfo/apwg_lists.plantconservation.org
> 
> Disclaimer                                                                
> Any requests, advice or opinions posted to this list reflect ONLY the opinion of the individual posting the message.
> 
>