Tom A' Royer IPM Coordinator and Extension Entomologist Oklahoma State University

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IPM for Right-of-Way Vegetation Management
Oklahoma Vegetation Management Association
Conference and Trade Show

• Tom A. RoyerIPM Coordinator and Extension
  EntomologistOklahoma State University

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IPM? IVM? Whats the Difference

• In rights-of-way (ROW), the primary pest
  management concern is vegetation
• IVM uses all the principles of IPM
  (comprehensive, economical, environmentally
  responsible) to manage non-compatible vegetation

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ROW Targets

• 'Non-compatible vegetation' include tree species
  and noxious/invasive species that will impact ROW
  or adjacent properties
• It does not mean total vegetation management
• It does try to maintain a plant community that is
  least disruptive to wildlife, fisheries and human
  activity

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IVM Goals

• Managed succession to develop tree-resistant,
  sustainable plant communities
• Impact target vegetation without injuring
  desirable vegetation - maintain cover
• Accomplish with minimal

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Courtesy of Art Glover, Pennsylvania State
University
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IVM Management Techniques

• Identify plant, life cycle, habitat
• Combine IVM methods
• Cultural
• Biological
• Ecological
• Mechanical
• Chemical

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Cultural

• Competitive, native plants
• highly desired
• plant succession force
• naturally perpetuating wildflower meadow (rare in
  eastern OK, common in western OK)
• need research to identify desirable species

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Biological Methods

• Insects (thistle weevil)
• Pathogens - Myrothecium verrucaria
• Grazing animals (geese, goats, live mowers)
• Competitive/compatible plants

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Classical Biological Control

• Limited to high-impact species, usually exotic
  and invasive
• Purple loosestrife
• Musk thistle
• Salt Cedar
• Field Bindweed

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Archives ,
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada,
www.invasive.org
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Ecological Control

• Overlap of Cultural and Biological control
  concepts
• Programmed release of compatible plant species to
  provide a competitive plant community to inhibit
  spread of non-compatible plant species

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Mechanical Methods

• Necessary in reclamation situations
• Expensive
• Non-selective - all vegetation impacted
• Doesnt change plant community - mowed brush
  comes back as brush
• Habitat impacts

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Chemical Methods
Herbicide - chemical that is used to control,
suppress or kill non-compatible plants (weeds).
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Implementing an IVM program (Nowak and Ballard,
2005)

• Assessing Species Composition and Ecosystem
  characteristics
• Setting Objectives
• Compiling Treatment Options
• Accounting for Economic and Environmental Effects
• Implementation
• Adaptive Management and Monitoring

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Herbicides

• Selective or non-selective products
• Application method can determine selectivity
• Can promote release of native plants through
  selective (physiological, or application)
  approaches
• Less costly than other VM methods
• Usually provides longer control

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Herbicide Disadvantages

• Require application by certified personnel,
  require compliance with aspects of the Right to
  Know act.
• They kill plants, and can cause problems with
  non-target plants via drift.
• Weaken them, allowing for diseases and insects to
  gain a foothold.

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Herbicide Drift Can Weaken Trees and Make Them
Susceptible to Borers and Disease

• Borers
• Flatheaded wood borers
• Roundheaded wood borers
• Clearwinged borers
• Ambrosia beetles and other bark beetles

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Herbicide Drift Can Weaken Trees and Make Them
Susceptible to Borers and Disease

• Borers
• Flatheaded wood borers
• Roundheaded wood borers
• Clearwinged borers
• Ambrosia beetles and other bark beetles

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Emerald Ash Borer

• Flatheaded borers
• Emerald ash borer adult about ½ inch, dark
  metallic green
• Introduced from Asia, kills living ash trees,
  seems to be limited to ash as a host.

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Shade Tree Insect Management

• Emerald Ash Borer
• Damage is first recognized by dieback of upper
  third of tree, followed by full death, or
  abundance of suckering at base of tree.
• Beetle activity causes galleries, and girdling of
  tree.

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Shade Tree Insect Management

• Emerald Ash Borer
• Two issues EAB is spreading rapidly.
• Firewood quarantine is in place, but how well is
  it being enforced?

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Shade Tree Insect Management

• Round-headed borers
• Asian Longhorned beetle
• Arrived in US from packing material in Chinese
  imports (pallets)
• Size 1-1 ¼ inches, with long antennae
• Lay eggs in oval pits that the female creates. 1
  generation per year
• Larvae feed on inner bark, then move to
  heartwood.
• Attacks healthy maples, poplars, willows etc.
  Prefer maples.

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Shade Tree Insect Management

• Ambrosia bark beetle
• Biology
• Adults can be active year-round during warm
  periods, but most activity has been observed in
  spring.
• They mate, lay eggs and rear young within the
  galleries excavated by the female. Prefer 2-30
  cm diameter stems.

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Shade Tree Insect Management

• Ambrosia bark beetle
• Biology
• All life stages can be found inside the
  galleries. Females can fly to other trees, males
  cannot fly.
• Will feed on pecan, plum cherry persimmon, redbud
  sweet gum and others.
• Several generations per year.

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Shade Tree Insect Management

• Ambrosia bark beetle
• Damage
• Adults and larvae bore into twigs, branches and
  small trunks of woody hosts. They excavate a
  system of tunnels, and begin culturing an
  ambrosia fungus for food.
• Girdle infested wood, make toothpick-like spines
  of sawdust that protrude from host.

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IVM Practitioners can be first responders!

• As they apply and assess their IVM programs, they
  are in a critical position to become first
  detectors for invasives!

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Implementing an IVM program (Nowak and Ballard,
2005)

• Assessing Species Composition and Ecosystem
  characteristics

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Implementing an IVM program (Nowak and Ballard,
2005)

• Assessing Species Composition and Ecosystem
  characteristics
• You need to know what is going to be involved
  with the plant community and note any
  ecologically sensitive conditions that need to be
  accounted for

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Implementing an IVM program (Nowak and Ballard,
2005)

• Assessing Species Composition and Ecosystem
  characteristics
• Setting Objectives

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Implementing an IVM program (Nowak and Ballard,
2005)

• Setting Objectives
• Be transparent with stakeholders
• Explain need for keeping vegetation from contact
  with power line
• Objectives should be compatible with type of
  vegetation, location, plant ecosystem and
  population density of people.

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Implementing an IVM program (Nowak and Ballard,
2005)

• Assessing Species Composition and Ecosystem
  characteristics
• Setting Objectives
• Compiling Treatment Options (building a play book)

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Implementing an IVM program (Nowak and Ballard,
2005)

• Compiling Treatment Options
• Should reflect accurate assessment of plant
  ecosystem and other objectives
• Should include as many options as is economically
  feasible, especially in ecologically sensitive
  areas

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Implementing an IVM program (Nowak and Ballard,
2005)

• Assessing Species Composition and Ecosystem
  characteristics
• Setting Objectives
• Compiling Treatment Options
• Accounting for Economic and Environmental Effects

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Implementing an IVM program (Nowak and Ballard,
2005)

• Accounting for Economic and Environmental Effects
• Should get from stakeholder buy-in as well as
  from research on regulations and needs of area.

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Implementing an IVM program (Nowak and Ballard,
2005)

• Assessing Species Composition and Ecosystem
  characteristics
• Setting Objectives
• Compiling Treatment Options
• Accounting for Economic and Environmental Effects
• Implementation

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Resources for Learning More

• Aboriculture and Urban Forestry online
  http//joa.isa-arbor.com/
• Walvatne, Paul (ed.). 1996. How to Develop and
  Implement an Integrated Roadside Vegetation
  Management Program. The National Roadside
  Vegetation Management Association, Newark,
  Delaware.
• National Roadside Vegetation Management
  Association http//www.nrvma.org/ offers
  certification information affiliation with state
  associations.
• Oklahoma Vegetation Management Association
  http//www.okvma.net/demo/ A great source for
  information, opportunities for professional
  development

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IPM for Right-of-Way Vegetation Management
Oklahoma Vegetation Management Association
Conference and Trade Show

• Tom A. RoyerIPM Coordinator and Extension
  EntomologistOklahoma State University

37
IPM for Right-of-Way Vegetation Management

• Tom A. RoyerIPM Coordinator and Extension
  EntomologistOklahoma State University