1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Vegetation Management Philosophy
1.2 Objectives
2. VEGETATION MANAGEMENT STANDARDS
2.1 Road Types
2.2 Spray Zones (Herbicide Applications)
2.3 Mechanical and Hand Brush Cutting
3. SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS
3.1 Roadway Safety
3.2 Hazardous Trees
3.3 Erosion Control
4. GOOD NEIGHBOR AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS
4.1 Establishment of Formal "No Spray Areas"
4.2 Noxious Weed Control
4.3 Conservation and Restoration of Native Plants
4.4 Wildflowers and Low Maintenance Vegetation 1. INTRODUCTION The Vegetation Management (VM) Program policy document has been established as a guideline from which to conduct the County's roadside vegetation management program.
While an integrated program attempts to include all aspects of roadside vegetation control, it is also understood that vegetation management concepts and techniques need to address social and environmental issues such as, traffic safety, water quality, threatened and endangered species, wetland protection, native planting, and noxious weed programs. The combined efforts, knowledge, and experience of staff along with involved community representatives continues to improve the ability to practice techniques which enhance the opportunity for of sound stewardship of the environment. The material in this document is an outline of Marion County's goals and policies for the day-to-day operation of the VM Program. 1.1 Vegetation Management Philosophy The philosophy of the Marion County Vegetation Management Program is to embrace sound VM practices which consider safety, statutes, and environmental stewardship. Public safety and integrity of public facilities will be maintained but with careful evaluation of the impacts of disturbance to the watersheds and environment.
A problem, either actual or potential, must first be determined to exist and pose unacceptable risks; a cost benefit analysis of an array of ranges of cost-effective treatment alternatives will be given consideration; the timing of treatments will take into consideration the treatment window for optimum effectiveness and safety. Best management practices will be developed and records will be kept in a GIS data base for roadside maintenance, and the results of treatments will be monitored for effectiveness.
The management techniques utilized may include manual, mechanical, chemical, cultural, and biological methodologies. Those techniques which will likely produce the least long-term disturbance to the natural and human community will be practiced.
The program will be based on four principles:
1. Safety, both for the traveling public.
2. Good stewardship of the environment.
3. Good neighbor to all abutting property owners/residents whose properties are adjacent to the rights-of-way and to those who use the rights-of-way.
4. Maintenance and preservation of public facilities.
Develop a uniform practice for maintenance standards, best management practices, and a GIS database for road side maintenance.
Define desirable roadside vegetation management practices and management goals and control techniques.
Develop vegetation management strategies with the long term goal to reduce maintenance activities through suitable low growth native plantings.
2. VEGETATION MANAGEMENT STANDARDS 2.1 Road Types
Arterial: Link cities, larger towns, and other major traffic generators; provide interstate and inter-county service spaced so that all development areas of the region are within reasonable distance of an arterial; and serve a higher travel density, trip length, and overall travel speed than collector and local systems.
Collector: Provide service to larger towns not directly served by higher classed roads and to other traffic generators of equivalent intra-county importance (including parks, tourist attractions, significant resource areas). Link these places with nearby towns and cities or routes of higher classification.
Local Roads: Primarily provide access to adjacent lands, and provide relatively short travel distances compared to higher classed facilities.
Arterial: Marion County will spray no further than five (5) feet from edge of pavement between the months of March and July.
Collector: Marion County will spray no further than three (3) three feet from edge of pavement between the months of March and July.
Local: Marion County will spray no further than two (2) two feet from edge of pavement between the months of March and July.
Bridges: Eliminate spray on structures located over streams or adjacent to wetlands. Use chemicals approved for use near aquatic resources. Hand spray around structures or riparian areas that require chemical controls. Spraying will occur up to 25 feet from riparian area.
Watershed Maintenance: Applications of herbicides prohibited in the North Fork of the Santiam River and Abiqua Creek watersheds.
Road Brush Maintenance: Maintain shade trees along streams or rivers unless those trees are dangerous trees.
If trees provide shade or bank stabilization within 50 feet of streams and rivers and are determined to be dangerous trees that must be removed, the trees will be removed in consultation with our environmental coordinator. Hedge rows within the County right-of-way on the back side of the ditch will not be brushed providing for habitat shelter except for maintaining sight distance or dangerous tress. Mature trees that are removed will be replaced at a 1:1.5 ratio within the same watershed. Vegetation Management will consult with our environmental coordinator to ensure the trees are planted in an area that will not pose a future threat to Marion County structures.
Bridge Brush Maintenance: Remove brush to 20 feet on either side and under the structure and dispose of brush appropriately. Maintain trees that lean but pose no danger to structure or facility.
Watershed Maintenance (Abiqua and North Fork Santiam): Mechanical mowing, trimming, removing, and disposing of brush, including the cleanup work, to restore sight distance and remove undesirable roadside vegetation. Provide brush buffer from the back slope of the ditch line along significant resource areas except where sight distance is of concern. Maintain sight distance but will limit maintenance mowing from edge of pavement to the catch point of ditch line.
Roadway safety is an important element in the VM Program. The department is committed to the safety of the motoring public, adjacent property owners, and others who use the right-of-way.
Roadway safety includes maintaining sight distance; visibility of signs and other fixtures; maintaining the effectiveness of fog lines; preventing standing water on the roadway; and minimizing icy road conditions.
Sight Distance: Maintaining proper sight distance for motorists is imperative. Sight distance can be reduced by tall or overhanging vegetation or by vegetation otherwise encroaching upon the line of sight of the driver.
Fixture Visibility: Clear visibility of signs, guardrails, and delineator posts is critical where vegetation growth is not adequately controlled. Visibility of fixtures can be impaired resulting in a potentially unsafe situation. Such situations create an increased liability exposure for the County.
Hazardous trees impose a potential safety concern whenever they occur. These are trees which pose either the threat of injury to motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, or county employees. When there is a threat of falling trees on the roadway under conditions of high winds or saturated soil conditions, Marion County will remove, or work with adjacent land owners, to remove hazardous trees.
Erosion control measures can be divided into two basic categories; temporary and permanent. Temporary measures generally apply to techniques employed either during or immediately following construction projects. It is during this time that large expanses of soil and subsoil are exposed to erosive forces, particularly water.
Permanent erosion control measures are those employed throughout the maintenance life of the facility. Planting of permanent erosion control vegetation has a direct bearing on long-term vegetation management requirements. It is consistent with an overall goal of the program to establish low maintenance vegetation by actively planting desirable native species.
Another public concern which will be taken into consideration is the strongly held desire on the part of some persons to have the right-of-way in front of their property excluded from any kind of chemical application. The County operates a "No Spray Areas" Private Maintenance Agreement Program for the right-of-way adjacent to areas requiring special consideration. The determination of the areas will be made by the Vegetation Foreman based on the following criteria: individual or group requests to exclude the right-of-way adjacent to their property from any chemical applications; or significant environmental constraints, e.g. a threatened or endangered species population.
Pursue the development of a "No Spray Areas" Private Maintenance Agreement Program that also includes planting native plants or low-growth wildflowers.
The County will consider control of state-listed noxious weeds within the road rights-of-way as a VM Program element. The County will seek to include biological control methods wherever possible. This will be carried out through cooperation with other agencies and participate in statewide noxious weed programs. Noxious weed control is consistent with the good neighbor and environmental stewardship principles underlying the VM Program.
Where the right-of-way is sufficiently wide enough to accommodate the native vegetation without adversely influencing safety and maintenance considerations, the County will strive to preserve it. The County will protect habitat, to the extent possible, near known populations of threatened and endangered species, whether Federally or State listed.
The County will work to restore native vegetation, where appropriate, when the opportunities arise and the proper seed stocks are available.
This restoration will consist of planting locally-originating native grass and wildflower seeds. The plants must accommodate relevant safety, economic, and ecological considerations. The environmental coordinator will provide consultation on these restoration and preservation activities.
4.4 Wildflowers and Low Maintenance Vegetation
Where native vegetation is inappropriate due to sight line or maintenance constraints, the County will work to establish low maintenance, low growing, grasses and wildflowers. These plants must accommodate relevant safety, economic, and ecological considerations. These consideration include the invasiveness, longevity, growth patterns, aesthetics, and cross-breeding potential of all proposed species. These plants will not be substitutes for the long-term goal of restoring native plants, but will be used in instances when native plants do not fulfill the necessary criteria. The environmental coordinator will provide consultation on these plantings.