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www.landscapeirrigation.com Landscape and Irrigation September 2016 31 Get your maintenance projects moving faster, safer and with greater ROI. • Industry-exclusive, push-forward Kwik-Trench with hassle-free operation • Fastest trenching in the industry • Neatly deposits soil to one side for faster backfi ll • Carbide-tipped teeth cut trenches 1-4" wide, 12" deep for all your irrigation & drainage projects Move Forward. Get a . Get a . sales@littlebeaver.com www.littlebeaver.com 800-227-7515 • Industry-exclusive, push- forward Kwik-Trench with hassle-free operation • Fastest trenching in the industry • Neatly deposits soil to one side for faster backfill and minimal cupping • Carbide-tipped teeth cut trenches 1-4 inches wide, 12 inches deep • Industry-exclusive, push- with • Fastest trenching in industry • Neatly deposits soil to one side for faster backfill cupping • Carbide-tipped teeth cut trenches 1-4 inches wide, 12 inches deep • Industry-exclusive, push- forward Kwik-Trench • Fastest trenching in with • Fastest trenching in the Neatly deposits soil to one side Neatly deposits soil to one side for faster backfill and minimal and minimal Carbide-tipped teeth cut forward Kwik-Trench hassle-free operation • Fastest trenching in the "Herbicides play a big role in our right-of-way management, because they allow us to minimize our footprint on the rights- of-way," said West. "Typically, after we've cleared an area mechanically, we transition to herbicides to maintain it. Our focus is on cover-type conversion inside our transmission line rights-of-way, where we go from tall-growing trees to a more stable low-growing plant community." West has leaned on CWC Chemical Inc., when developing the herbicide mixes used on Rocky Mountain Power's rights-of-way — in particular, Jason Myers, national accounts manager with CWC, who has worked with Trees Inc. and Rocky Mountain Power since the inception of its right-of-way program. "It has been good working with them because of their commitment to a successful program," said Myers. "Over the years, we have evaluated new products, including Milestone specialty herbicide, as they come to market while always basing the program around what is approved by BLM and Forest Service where many of their lines run." To keep things simple, Trees Inc. uses only a couple of herbicide mixes on Rocky Mountain Power's rights-of-way. For high-volume applications, the go-to mix is Garlon 3A specialty herbicide combined with Tordon 101M herbicide and metsulfuron plus a nonionic surfactant. For many low- volume treatments, it's Milestone specialty herbicide with Rodeo herbicide and metsulfuron plus a surfactant. Both mixes are selective to desirable forbs and shrubs that are growing in the area, which is very important when considering the dual purpose many rights-of-way can serve. Rights-of-way that distribute power and provide safe passage Besides working with Trees Inc., West serves as the Utah volunteer conservation project coordinator for the Mule Deer Foundation. An avid hunter, he has a vested interest in sustaining Utah's mule deer population, which, up until recently, was declining rapidly because of several factors, most notably urban sprawl. Mule deer and other grazing animals, such as elk, need safe passage to get from their winter range feeding grounds in the lower mountain elevations to the summer range feeding grounds in the higher elevations and vice versa. Urban sprawl had shrunk these vital corridors, leading to increased deaths from starvation, predators feeding on fawns and, most dangerously, animals running into traffic trying to migrate. West realized he was staring at a solution every day as he worked on Rocky Mountain Power's rights-of-way. With proper management, these easements of land could serve two purposes: deliver power and provide mule deer with corridors for safe passage to feeding grounds. But not everyone was sold right away. "Initially, parties like the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources were concerned about using herbicides in these critical areas for wildlife," said West. "It was a long education process, because they assumed we were going to nuke everything with our treatments. But we knew using selective herbicides would not only help us keep undesirable vegetation away from power lines, but would encourage the growth of native forbs and shrubs