HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 11-17-2009 - Information Item 2INFORMATION ITEM
ORANGE COUNTY
COMMISSION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
MEMORANDUM
To: Board of County Commissioners
Frank Clifton, Interim County Manager
From: Johnny Randall and Michelle Kempinski, Co-Chairs
Date: November 17, 2009
Re: Recommendation for Discontinuing the Spraying of Herbicides
on Roadsides and Utility Rights-of-Way in Orange County
Over the past year the Orange County Commission for the Environment (CFE) has
considered the use of herbicides to manage the growth of vegetation along roadsides
and utility rights-of-way. The CFE has also discussed the value of those roadsides
and rights-of-way as habitat for native plants and wildlife.
The attached resolution, adopted by the CFE, recommends that all use of herbicides
to manage roadsides and rights-of-way in Orange County be discontinued, and that
mowing be reinstated as the sole means of managing unwanted growth of trees and
shrubs in those areas.
This resolution is a follow-up to a December 2006 memorandum to the Board of
Commissioners in which the CFE provided thoughts and recommendations on the
use of herbicides on roadsides and utility rights-of-way. A copy of that memorandum
is attached for your reference (Attachment 2).
Members of the Commission for the Environment (CFE) are available to answer any
questions and are willing to present its,recommendations at an upcoming Board of
Commissioners meeting.
Attachments
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ORANGE COUNTY COMMISSION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
RESOLUTION
to Discontinue the Spraying of Herbicides
on Roadsides and Utiiity Rights-of-Way in Orange County, NC
WHEREAS the roadsides and utility rights-of-way of Orange County support
numerous plant species that occur in these open habitats; and
WHEREAS many of these plant species occur no where else in the county except for
roadsides (such as Indian paintbrush and yellow-fringed orchid); and
WHEREAS #his particular vegetation assemblage embodies much of the remnant
Piedmont prairie flora and represents a historical pre-European settlement
vegetation; and
WHEREAS the roadsides of Orange County also create habitat for numerous animal
species, possess tremendous aesthetic value, and provide and a sense of place; and
WHEREAS vegetation management using herbicides is causing loss of this
distinctive vegetation and detracting from the aesthetic value of our colorful and
extraordinary roadsides; and
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Orange County Commission for the
Environment recommends to the Orange County Commissioners that all roadside
and rights-of-way management with herbicides be stopped and that mowing be
reinstalled as the sole means of management
This the 10t" day of November, 2008.
J nny dall, Co-Chair
ommission for the Environment
._._.
ichelle Kem inski, Co-Chair
Commission for the Environment
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To: Barry Jacobs, Chair
Board of County Commissioners
From: Hervey McIver and Johnny Randall, Co-Chairs
Date: December 4, 2006
Re: Comments from the Commission for the Environment Regarding
the Use of Herbicides in Utility and Roadside Rights-of--Way
In September, the Board of Orange County Commissioners referred to the
Commission for the Environment (CfE) for comment concerns raised by citizens
regarding herbicide use by Duke Power within their powerline rights-of--way
alongside a public road. This memo expresses the thoughts and recommendations
of the CfE on herbicide use in general and on the value of rights-of--way as wildlife
and native plant habitat.
In recent years, utility companies maintaining rights-of-way have moved away
from mowing to the use of herbicides for controlling woody vegetation. The NC DOT
(to a limited extent) and railroad companies also use herbicides to control woody
vegetation within their rights-of--way. The use ofi herbicides to control woody
vegeta#ion is becoming more common because of cost (labor and equipment} and
logistical (steep slopes and vehicular access} issues.
In response to an inquiry into the Duke Power incident, a company
representative stated in an a-mail that, in the case in question, a combination of
Accord concentrate (diluted to 3.1%) and Arsenal was used. Glyphosate is the
active ingredient in Accord and is non-selective in its lethal effect on plants.
Imazapyr, the active ingredient in Arsenal, is abroadleaf-specific herbicide that has
non-selective plant effects through soil activity.
The Commission for the Environment has concerns about herbicide use in all
rights-of-way since even broadleaf-specific herbicides affect non-target plants via
soil activity. The loss of vegetation on these sites has negative impacts on the
environment and natural diversity.
Our specific concerns are outlined below.
1. Roadsides and utility rights-of-way represent a documented refugium
for many common and rare native grasses and herbaceous plants that
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are adapted to the open habitats once maintained by fire and grazing.
Prior to European settlement much of Orange County was
predominated by prairie-like and open woodland ecosystems
maintained by frequen#, low-intensity, fires and grazing (by buffalo).
Mowing has been the standard roadside management tool for over a
century and is still commonly used across the US, which to a large
extent mimics the effects of fire and grazing by removing woody plants.
Herbicide use, therefore, #hreatens these remnant ecosystems within
rights-of--way.
2. Application of herbicides, even those that #arget broadleaf and woody
plants, can kill grasses and other monocots through soil activity. In
addition to refugium disruption, soil erosion is greatly increased without
a consistent herbaceous plant cover.
3. Rights-of-way are vulnerable to invasive plant colonization, which is
compounded when gaps are created with herbicide use. Invasive
plants are a serious threat to native plant communities, and their
colonization and spread should be discouraged.
4. Herbicide application often results in unavoidable, inadvertent, or
careless drift onto non-target plants outside the right of way.
(Herbicide drift is the reason that the herbicide complaint was made #o
the County Commissioners in the first place.) While applicators must
be State certified, there are inevitably mistakes made, such as
excessive drift and overspray.
5. Rights-of--way with dead or dying plants during the growing season are
an aesthetic concern. The NC DOT Roadside Environmental Unit's
mission is: "To provide roadside elements for a statewide highway
system that are safe, environmentally sound, attractive and responsive
to the public's needs." The Orange County CfE fully endorses this goal
and believes that a no herbicide policy best supports the Roadside
Environmental Unit's mission.
Recommendations: The CfE recommends that the County engage all
companies and public agencies tha# use herbicides to control woody
vegetation in order to determine: 1) what herbicides are used and in what
manner, 2) what are the limitations of returning to mechanical rights-of--way
clearing, and 3) the locations of rare plants, specialized plant communities,
and sensitive ecosystems (e.g., stream sides) that should only be maintained
with mowing or hand-cutting.
These discussions should seek #o remedia#e our concerns and lead to
changes in woody vegetation control practices. These talks should be
coordinated, if possible, with any similar existing negotiations between
concerned governmental agencies such as the NC Natural Heritage Program,
NC Division of Parks and Recrea#ion, NC DOT, and the various utilities.
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