Roadside Management Practices
Weed Control
IRVM provides better weed control with less herbicide by:
Spraying only the weeds
Spraying at the right times
Spraying with the most effective herbicides
Spraying with the latest technology
Spraying with better trained personnel
Prioritizing and spraying proactively
Planting self-sustaining vegetation
Reducing disturbances to healthy vegetation
Tree & Brush Control
Maintaining a safe travel environment requires a sustained, adequatly funded effort employing a variety of practices (an integrated approach):
Chainsaw crews, brush chippers and cut stump treatments
Foliar herbicide applications
Basal bark herbicide treatments
Boom mowers
Tree shear and other heavy equipment
Reseeding Ditches
Native grasses, forbs and legumes from Iowa's original prairie landscape are best adapted to local growing conditions and outperform introduced grass species.
Establishing a diverse plant community that includes species adapted to a variety of conditions provides the most stable cover for controlling erosion and keeping out weeds.
The deep, fibrous roots of prairie species:
Reduce runoff by providing for greater infiltration of storm water
Prevent soil erosion
Out-compete weeds
Increase drought tolerence
Tall grasses trap blowing snow and increase snow storage capacity.
Diverse stands of native species provide better winter cover, better nesting cover and food for more game and songbird species.
