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Utility finds success with selective herbicide program
White River Valley Electric Cooperative’s (WRVEC’s) 4,800 miles of distribution right-of-way cut like a chalk line through southwestern and south-central Missouri. With much of the region covered by heavy oak-hickory forest, the concern for right-of-way (ROW) managers like Bruce Roseman isn’t necessarily broadleaf weeds like those that plague pastures and croplands farther north.
“We’re after stem count,” Roseman says. “We’re only interested in the trees, vines, multiflora rose bushes — any woody stems. We’re not targeting anything other than those. We’re not going after any broadleaf weeds — anything like that.”
It’s an understandable approach, given the density of the forests and woodlands. But Roseman has other considerations as well. Nearby Branson and Table Rock Lake both draw heavy traffic and tourism to the region, meaning brownouts have ample opportunity to get noticed. Small farms dot the region as well, lending an additional layer of complexity and complication to any vegetation management plan that involves herbicide use.
It’s these considerations and others that led Roseman and WRVEC to try a more selective approach to vegetation management.
“We have a lot of tourism in the area, and a lot of smaller natural-food farms,” he says. “We don’t want to hurt bees, we don’t want people to drive down the road and look up on a hillside and see brown spots. We were getting brownouts from our previous herbicide mix, and we can’t have that.”
Reducing brownout through selective herbicide use
Roseman recently switched to a program that includes Vastlan® herbicide for control of brush and trees, along with TerraVue® herbicide with Rinskor® active for enhanced activity on woody species. That combination has proven remarkably effective on some of the most problematic species that plague the area.
“We’re controlling the Bradford pear trees and the cedars. Every little thing is working right now with the mix,” Roseman says. “We’ve changed it up a couple of times and tried different mixing ratios, but what we have now is pretty solid.”
— Bruce Roseman
Roseman appreciates the efficacy of the tank mix and the favorable environmental profile. Both Vastlan and TerraVue are practically nonvolatile, have minimal personal protective equipment requirements and have few use-site restrictions.
“It’s grass-friendly. Livestock can graze around it. We’re not targeting plants that the bees like,” he says. “That’s what we were working toward when we put our program together. That’s what we want to get our rights-of-way back to — something that’s more of a natural setting with no invasive species coming in.”
By that measure and most others, WRVEC’s program has been a success. Per-mile vegetation management costs are down by about 10%, and Roseman hopes to see that number increase in subsequent years.
“We’re seeing less brush in the rights-of-way, the fencerows are cleaner, and the floor is cleaner,” he says. “I can see a huge reduction in outside growth. I’ll pull up to a hillside that’s been sprayed a couple of times and I can see there’s at least a 50% reduction in brush cover.”
The success of the program also bodes well for the 51 miles of ROW that WRVEC manages within nearby Mark Twain National Forest. Roseman and his team are working with U.S. Forest Service officials to put together a proposal that would allow them to spray those miles. He’s confident the results he’s seen already can help demonstrate the selectivity of his current herbicide mix.
“That’ll be a big win for us,” he says. “Right now, we have an agreement that allows us to cut on Forest Service land. To use herbicides, we’ve had to show them we’re not just out to eliminate all the vegetation, and that we can use herbicides to selectively control the trees and brush.”
Public outreach critical to herbicide acceptance
As for those brownouts, WRVEC’s new program has reduced complaints from the public to near zero.
“We just did over 1,600 miles of herbicide applications and we had maybe two complaints,” he says. “That speaks volumes right there.”
In addition to the new herbicide program, Roseman credits WRVEC’s communications group for boosting public outreach efforts and improving the utility’s relationship with members and neighbors.
“We’ve learned how to interact better with the public,” he says. “We make sure that we have some form of communication, whether it’s through a postcard, email or Facebook. I know that the communications department does a wonderful job. They don’t just put it out there one time. They’ll put it out at least two or three times.”
Despite their unquestioned success, Roseman and his team plan to continue fine-tuning their approach to always have an eye toward the future.
“We’re always open to new ideas,” he says. “If there’s something out there that we think would be a good fit for the program, we’re open to it. That’s one of the things I love about White River. We try to look forward, not backward.”
Under normal field conditions, TerraVue® is nonvolatile. TerraVue has no grazing or haying restrictions for any class of livestock, including lactating dairy cows, horses (including lactating mares) and meat animals prior to slaughter. Label precautions apply to forage treated with TerraVue and to manure and urine from animals that have consumed treated forage. TerraVue and Vastlan® are not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Consult the label for full details. Rinskor® is a registered active ingredient. Always read and follow label directions.
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For over 30 years, Vistas® has covered strategies, trends and stories from across the Vegetation Management industry.