Better Roads Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/85911
HighwayContractor the environment, but doesn't have to be hauled around in such large quantities by the crews, enhancing flexibility of them physically and their employers operationally, says Alford. It's too early to quantify if Perspective reduces dras- tically the number of cuttings required in a season, he says, but anecdotal evidence is encouraging. "A product like Perspective does a great job of controlling the broadleaf weeds and other things out there that can get tall," says Alford, "but generally has been very selective to the grass that's there, which is desirable because you want some sort of cover on the roadside. In a lot of situations, you're getting away from those noxious and invasive weeds, and allowing more desirable native grasses to come back in on the roadsides." A potential longer-term effect of weed control may be the suppression of seed heads, which may keep grass from getting as tall, says Alford, but regardless, "if you have a good weed management program, through time you're going to see less weeds present in any situation. If folks make a concerted effort to try to manage those weeds, through time they will see the benefit where, in- stead of broadcast applications along every mile, they may be able to do just treat parts that need to be man- aged in a given year." If the adjacent roads carry out-of-town or, worse, inter- state traffic, keeping the weeds down can be a particular challenge, says Alford. "The highway right-of-way in a lot of situations is one of the worst spots for weeds, because you have so much traffic that goes by there and weed seeds have the po- tential to come from anywhere. You never know exactly what might show up," he says. "You have potential for a lot of re- infestation year over year just from those outside factors. "But typically, if you are in a good solid management pro- gram, you are going to start to see some advantages," says Alford, "and maybe not have to manage it as inten- sively every year." Spreading costs A well-managed roadside is particularly challenging in areas visited by vehicles originating from other parts of the country, bringing with them invasive seeds. seasonal staffing budget and one-half of its capital equip- ment budget cut in 2011 – the year Cole decided the non- park roadside mowing had to be stopped. About $20,000 was directly saved, which is significant for a parks depart- ment covering a city of 68,000, but not enough to cover the complete shortfall. And, says Cole, more cuts are to follow this year. Working with a product that can give you vegetation management options allows flexibility in approaching the problems that spring up beside the road – an especially valuable asset in thin budget times. DuPont's Perspective Green for green? A s a resident of Rapid City, as well as a chronicler of the South Dakota city's business, reporter Emilie Rusch has empathy for the parks department's financial squeeze. As the city has grown, she points out, it naturally has added parkland – which the depart- ment must take care of in the face of budget and staffing cuts. It's the proverbial doing more with less. "And, in South Dakota, whenever the State Department of Trans- portation plants those nice little gardens on an Interstate exit to beautify the on- or off-ramp, they always fall to the cities to take care of." Passing the buck? Difficult for us to say. If only there were actually any extra bucks to pass – for either agency. If so, that's good news for all agencies. Rapid City Parks and Recreation, for instance, had one-third of its temporary/ 10 March 2012 Better Roads Photo courtesy of DuPont