Initial considerations

Residents and county or city government employees may be among the first to be interested in starting a program that safely and strategically manages roadside vegetation using the principles of integrated roadside vegetation management.

People are most often interested in developing a roadside program because they want roadside management that is

Collect information on the current need for the program

Collecting information will help to make a strong case for an IRVM program to a county board of supervisors or city council that may be skeptical of its necessity. These suggestions are a good starting point from which to consider how much information is necessary to collect for your county or city. 

County vegetation management survey

Supporters need to gather the following information demonstrating the need for the IRVM program:

Obtain data from county herbicide-use records on the amount used, the cost, and the products used. Similarly, the county spray records typically provide information about who does the spraying, when it occurs, the technology used to spray, the miles covered each year, and the costs.

The County Vegetation Management Survey (Appendix 1a) can serve as a basis for evaluating a county’s roadside vegetation management program. Obtaining meaningful survey data may require interviews with members of the road maintenance crew or others directly involved. Though individual survey responses are subjective, the aggregate data will help identify and prioritize personnel and equipment needs. 

Where are the savings?

Counties and cities realize long-term savings by establishing native plant species that are better adapted and more competitive than non-native vegetation. Immediate savings are obtained by reducing or eliminating money spent on contractor services by

• spraying roadside weeds and conducting tree and brush removal with LRTF-purchased equipment; and 
• installing and maintaining erosion control measures with county personnel.

A professional vegetation specialist on staff can provide additional savings by

Potential objections to starting a program

Communicating the benefits of starting a program is important, but it’s also critical to be prepared to address the common objections given by those opposed. According to a 2016 survey of county board of supervisors and conservation board members (Stephenson et al., 2017), the greatest barriers to implementing IRVM practices are

Survey respondents said challenges to using native species include cost, adjacent landowners mowing the plantings, and acceptance internally or among contractors (Stephenson et al., 2017). A survey of engineers and roadside managers found similar barriers (Stephenson & Losch, 2016). Both reports provide useful background information about how county officials make decisions regarding roadside management. Of course, being familiar with local decision-makers’ values and perceptions of roadsides will allow citizen groups to be prepared for proposing this new initiative.

(Stephenson et al., 2017)

Proposing a program to county or city decision-makers

Those wanting to start a roadside vegetation program, whether county or city employees or citizens, will need approval from the decision-makers to move forward: the county board of supervisors, city council, or city administrator/manager who controls the local budget, and the engineer, county conservation board director, board of supervisors, or city administrator/manager who will supervise the roadside manager. Program supporters will typically present the need for a roadside vegetation program at a board of supervisors or city council meeting.

Citizens who want less roadside spraying and more native vegetation often lead the effort to change their county or city’s roadside management practices. This may start with one person or a small group who recruits other citizens to join the cause. Once the group has formed, it can lay out its goals over the course of a few meetings. 

The roadside program manager at the Iowa Roadside Management Office is available to answer questions and provide resources to help inform people about roadside programs. For example, the paper “Roadside Weeds, Brush, and Erosion: How Your County or City Can Manage Them to Create Safe, Healthy Roadsides and Roads” details the benefits gained from having a roadside vegetation program. Brochures about roadside programs and roadside vegetation are also available.

When the citizen group is ready, it should ask for time with the county board of supervisors to propose its vision and goals for the roadside vegetation program and request a formal IRVM committee. Unless the board can provide a large block of time during a regularly scheduled meeting, a special meeting specifically to discuss the proposal will allow for better discussion. The majority of the citizen group should be present at the meeting. 

Strategically choose the person or people to present about the proposed program based on who local decision-makers would trust the most. In some cases, it should be the county or city employee who would be responsible for developing the program and supervising the roadside manager. In other situations, decision-makers would also want to hear from one or more of the following people: the roadside manager, engineer, or conservation board director from a nearby county with a roadside program; a federal Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) employee; a Soil and Water Conservation District commissioner; the chair of the citizen group; someone representing farming interests; a weed control professional; the statewide LRTF coordinator; or the roadside program manager at the Iowa Roadside Management Office. The goal is to fortify the effort with respected individuals who can address the board of supervisors with candor and knowledge.

No matter who presents, it is crucial to demonstrate local support with a high turnout of residents (ideally including some with political influence) who support the effort. 

The desired outcome for this initial meeting should be for the board of supervisors to appoint a formal IRVM committee to examine the county’s current roadside management practices and determine what is best for the county. Recommended IRVM committee membership includes one or more county supervisors, the county engineer, the road superintendent/foreman, the weed commissioner, a member of the county conservation board, and key members of the original citizen group.

Residents can also write letters to the editor of the local newspaper and email or call their local officials to convey their support for the program.

The simplest approach to developing an integrated roadside vegetation management (IRVM) program is to think through the following details with your staff, community members and stakeholders. 

Name of the program

Example roadside program names:

Goals and objectives

Goals are broad, long-term outcomes while objectives are short-term, measurable actions taken to achieve goals.

Examples of roadside program goals from IRVM plans are listed below. Some programs categorize these as short-term goals (e.g., 0–5 years), medium-term goals (e.g., 5–10 years), and long-term goals (e.g., 10–20 years). 

Here are some examples of specific measurable roadside program objectives from the Dallas County IRVM plan:

To get ideas for other goals and objectives that would be appropriate for your county or city, see approved IRVM plans. All of the plans include goals and some plans also have objectives. 

IRVM plan

Counties and cities that want to apply for Living Roadway Trust Fund (LRTF) grants and request free native seed will need to submit to the LRTF an IRVM plan that is signed by the appropriate county or city officials. To formulate the plan, counties and cities will use one of two plan outlines: a the IRVM Plan Outline for Counties, State Agencies and Cities over 10,000 in Population form or the IRVM Plan for Cities Under 10,000 Population form. These forms and approved plans are on the LRTF website. 

For most parts of the plan outline, roadside managers and other staff will be able to incorporate information already gathered and created during the new program's planning and implementation. The plan outline may be more or less extensive than the county or city’s internal program documentation. The LRTF coordinator is available for any questions that arise as you work on your plan.

Email the final plan to the LRTF coordinator for approval. Both IRVM plans and LRTF grant applications must be submitted by June 1. Once approved, plans should be updated and submitted for review by the LRTF coordinator every five years.

IRVM plans developed prior to 2015, when the LRTF implemented the latest plan requirements, are considered inactive. Counties or cities who do not have plans that meet the latest requirements are ineligible to apply for LRTF grants or request native seed.

Staffing and the percentage of time each staff member will dedicate to the program

Identify what staff member will implement the plan. County or city officials will sometimes have someone who is already on staff implement the plan. More often, counties will create a new roadside vegetation manager position. 

Ideally, the roadside manager will have wide-ranging knowledge and skills. The best candidates will have a strong background operating heavy equipment such as tractors, mowers, chainsaws, pickup trucks, trailers, skid loaders, tree planters, prescribed fire equipment, hand tools, seeders and chemical spray equipment. They will also have good communication skills. Experience working with natural resources, vegetation or both is an important bonus. Candidates must like a challenge and be willing to learn as they go. The county or city may hire the roadside manager before developing the IRVM plan and conducting the roadside vegetation inventory so the roadside manager can be involved in developing the plan. Conversely, the department hiring the roadside manager may prefer to write the plan first to articulate their vision for the program and develop local support for hiring a roadside manager to implement the plan A generic position description (Appendix 1b) can be customized to fit your county’s situation.

Most roadside managers are responsible for at least 2,500 acres of roadside vegetation. They will be more efficient and able to get more done if they have the assistance of a permanent or temporary technician and summer help. With proper funding, a roadside program has a sufficient workload to employ

Results from the latest roadside manager salary survey can help when budgeting for staff salaries. Potential funding sources in the county budget for roadside positions include the rural basic fund, secondary road fund, road clearing appropriation, and county conservation board budget. See an example of a roadside manager job description in the appendix.

The full-time roadside manager

The best way to achieve common roadside program goals is to hire a full-time roadside manager. As the person overseeing all roadside vegetation management duties, the roadside manager is focused and motivated to

The roadside manager takes ownership of managing the county’s roadsides with pride and accountability. When one person coordinates every aspect of the program, the result is better roadsides. Although cities may not have the resources to hire a full-time roadside manager, they need to designate in their integrated roadside vegetation management (IRVM) plans who will lead the effort to manage roadsides using the IRVM principles.

A less expensive way to get started

A few Iowa counties have planted a lot of native vegetation in roadsides without a roadside manager.  These counties do not have the same level of vegetation management as those with roadside managers, but they do have access to the LRTF. The following are examples of how this can be accomplished:

Hopefully, these and other similar nascent efforts by counties attempting to establish the use of IRVM principles act as catalysts to eventually hire full-time roadside managers. Maintaining healthy roadsides with native vegetation takes a sustained, focused effort. A county board of supervisors supporting the implementation of IRVM principles is necessary but not sufficient to make it happen — having an employee in a critical position who wants the program to succeed is crucial.

Advisory committee: community partners who can help you with referrals, advertising, implementation, and more

IRVM steering committees (also known as advisory committees) meet regularly to stay updated on roadside programs’ activities and challenges it may be facing, and provide guidance. They also can help spread the word within the community about the benefits of having a program and provide political support as needed. 

Steering committees may be formed at any time but most often evolve from the committee formed during the initial effort to establish a program or are formed when a roadside manager is hired. Committees typically meet 2–4 times a year and consist of 5–10 members representing the private and public sectors. The committee may be comprised of some of the following members:

The county engineer, conservation board director, or initial IRVM committee members may recommend people to appoint but the county board of supervisors has the authority to appoint members. Committee members often serve three-year staggered terms, which can initially be structured as follows:

• 3 members — 1-year term
• 3 members — 2-year term
• 4 members — 3-year term

Once all of the 1-year terms are up, three people would be appointed for 3-year terms and once all of the 2-year terms are up, three more people would be appointed for 3-year terms.

Committees elect chairpersons and secretaries and meetings are subject to Chapters 21 and 22 of the Iowa Code concerning open meetings and public records.

Program organization/location

When deciding within which department to locate a county roadside program and who should supervise the roadside manager, keep in mind that greater independence allows for better planning and timely operations. Sometimes, a department may need to be restructured or reorganized to give roadside management personnel the autonomy to meet objectives. County programs can operate successfully within the engineer’s office, the county conservation board, or as an independent department. All three have advantages.

Generating support for the program

Members of a steering committee can generate goodwill for the program by communicating within their networks. Regular communication between the roadside manager and the committee members is important so members know about the roadside managers’ projects and what information to relay.

Working on projects that visibly show progress in a relatively short amount of time, such as brush control or seedings with signage, can help garner support for a new program. The appropriate level and type of publicity for a new program can vary depending on the county or city’s goals and progress on specific projects.

How the program will be evaluated

Completing an IRVM plan and a county vegetation management survey can identify goals and objectives that serve as the basis for evaluating the program. Examples of ways counties have evaluated aspects of program success include:

Budget

These expenses should be considered when anticipating the cost of a program

In the end, weed and brush control objectives are balanced against environmental concerns and limited county or city resources. With that in mind, determine an appropriate allocation of resources. Also, determine how much might be saved with better organization and efficiency.

The following steps need to be taken during implementation, which is the period right before the actual date that the integrated roadside vegetation management (IRVM) program officially begins and the months that follow.

Memoranda of understanding 

Partner organizations must sign any necessary memoranda of understanding.

Passing a county/city resolution

The county board of supervisors or city council will need to pass a resolution establishing the program. Resolutions may also need to be passed or adopted regarding sections of Iowa code that pertain to IRVM programs, such as 314.22, and to accept LRTF grants. Work with other county or city staff to determine what resolutions are required.

Passing a budget

Some counties and cities develop and submit the budget for the roadside program to be passed by the supervisors or council separate from other expenses, while others absorb the expenses in another department’s budget. In either case, it will need to be approved by the relevant county or city governing body.

Hire the roadside manager and train staff

Provide the Tallgrass Prairie Center roadside program manager with the mailing address, email address, and phone number of the roadside manager leading the implementation of the IRVM program. The TPC roadside program manager will then send the roadside manager the following information:

The TPC roadside program manager will then connect the roadside manager to the Iowa Roadside Management network by

• adding the new roadside manager’s contact information to the listing on the TPC website and internal email list consisting only of roadside manager email addresses.; and
• adding the new roadside manager to the roadside management Google Group/email list and Roader’s Digest list, each of which is for those interested in roadside vegetation management.

Annual operations

A list of annual tasks, duties, and projects can help the roadside manager understand their responsibilities throughout the year. Here is an example of a list of annual operations that appears in some IRVM plans. Some plans have a more detailed list that is organized by month.

Job shadowing a neighboring roadside manager

After the roadside manager has begun working, the Tallgrass Prairie Center (TPC) roadside program manager will give the person an opportunity to job shadow an experienced roadside manager from a nearby county who is willing to help new roadside managers. This allows the new roadside manager to develop an early peer relationship and learn how another county approaches roadside management.

Chemical safety/handling

Controlled pesticide application is a useful part of the IRVM toolkit. Pesticide use in roadside rights-of-way is considered public pesticide application, which requires a state Commercial Pesticide Application license. To become certified, the roadside manager must pass a 50-question, closed-book exam over the Core Manual - Iowa Commercial Pesticide Applicator Manual; pass a 35-question exam specific to right-of-way pesticide application; and pay a $15 fee for public applicators. Check here for Applicator Licensing and Certification testing dates from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. 

Commercial driver’s license

The Iowa DOT requires operators of vehicles that weigh 26,001 or more pounds to obtain a commercial driver’s license (CDL). Large pickups with trailers with a drill or spray equipment can top this weight. To obtain a CDL, applicants must complete applicable entry-level driver training from a registered training provider. Training providers charge an average of $4,000. For more information, see the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Training Provider Registry.

Chainsaw safety

There are several options for in-person chainsaw safety training:

These are some useful online resources for chainsaw training:

Prescribed burning

Controlled burns are a useful and cost-effective IRVM tool. Burning roadsides helps to control weeds, eliminate brush, and return nutrients to the soil. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Forestry website lists relevant courses in prescribed burning. To become certified (known as “Red Card” certification) to conduct controlled burns, one must complete a field day (part of the S-130 firefighter training course) and a series of online courses. Field day options are usually listed on the Iowa DNR website in early spring.

Plant identification

Identifying native and non-native plants is a vital skill for roadside managers. While recognizing noxious weeds may seem more important, it is equally important to recognize where native prairie plants are. Many prairie remnants are found on the sides of roads and train tracks, which are traditionally undisturbed areas. Remnant prairies are especially well-adapted to their environment, which makes them valuable sources for native seed.

Plant identification resources exist for every learning style. Commonly used resources are listed below. 

Webinars

Books and guides

Websites

Plant ID apps

Because plant ID apps aren’t 100% accurate, it is important to learn the basics of plant identification techniques using the resources above. That said, reputable plant ID apps can be used to provide roadside managers with a starting point when identifying plants. The apps also contain other information about species such as location, prevalence, etc. It is also good to be aware of the reputable apps to inform citizens who ask about them. Here are two that have been well-reviewed by amateur botanists.

• Pl@ntNet Plant Identification
• iNaturalist

Conferences and field days

Conferences attended by roadside managers

The conferences listed below offer opportunities to network with other roadside maintenance professionals and participate in continuing education. Most roadside managers attend the winter Association for Integrated Roadside Management (AFIRM) meeting and the Tallgrass Prairie Center Annual Roadside Conference. Those who are also weed commissioners attend the weed commissioners conference, also known as the Iowa Invasive Species Conference. All three conferences include a lot of information directly related to roadside vegetation management and counties and cities are encouraged to budget for roadside managers to attend. 

The other meetings listed are attended by fewer roadside managers, such as those who live near the meeting location. The TPC roadside program manager may be able to offer roadside managers a limited number of scholarships covering the registration fee. 

Winterfest — Iowa County Conservation System

Winter Meeting — Association for Integrated Roadside Management (AFIRM)

• Approximate date: A one-day meeting between late February to mid-March
• Presentation and discussion topics are of interest to roadside managers.

Invasive Species Conference — Iowa Weed Commissioners’ Association

Iowa Prairie Conference

North American Prairie Conference

Roadside Conference — Iowa Roadside Management

Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference

Conferences with a roadside management table

The Iowa Roadside Management Office at the Tallgrass Prairie Center has a table in the exhibition area at some of the events below to educate attendees about roadside vegetation management. The table may be staffed by the TPC roadside program manager or roadside managers, whose registration fees would be covered by the TPC. A small number of roadside managers may also attend some of these conferences on behalf of their county or city.

Statewide Supervisors Meeting

Iowa State Association of Counties Spring Conference

Iowa Statewide Association of Counties Fall Conference

Iowa County Conservation System Fall Conference

Iowa Streets and Roads Workshop and Conference

County Engineers Conference

Field days

Many conservation-oriented organizations and equipment dealers offer useful field days. The organizations listed below host virtual and in-person field events.

Practical Farmers of Iowa

• A series of free field days during the growing season on topics related to sustainable agriculture, including prairie seeding and burning.
• Attended by natural resource professionals and private landowners.

Prairie on Farms Program (Tallgrass Prairie Center)

• One or two field days (not held every year) on planting native vegetation in agricultural fields.
• Attended by farmers and natural resource professionals interested in prairie restoration. 

Hawkeye Cooperative Weed Management Area Invasive Species Field Day 

Iowa Learning Farms 

• A free webinar series on topics related to land management such as soil health, improved water quality, and pollinator conservation. 
• All webinars are archived on its website.

Email lists and e-newsletters

Joining email lists and subscribing to email updates and e-newsletters is a good way to keep up with the latest news in roadside equipment, vegetation management, and roadside management in Iowa and beyond. 

Roadside management email list

The TPC roadside program manager maintains a roadside management Google Group email list. Email the TPC roadside program manager to be added to the group. Group members can pose questions to the group to provide insight and search archives of previous questions. Members pose questions to the group to gain insight about others’ experiences with equipment, share job openings, and share time-dependent news that can’t wait for the monthly Roader’s Digest email update.

Roader’s Digest email update

The Roader’s Digest newsletter, deemed the “Newsletter of the Iowa Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management Program,” was established by the TPC roadside program as a quarterly paper newsletter from 1989 to 2005. In 2017 it was reinstated as a monthly email update.  Subscribe and read previous email updates and archived issues. 

Midwest Invasive Plant Network e-newsletter

The MIPN e-newsletter contains invasive plant news from around the region. People can subscribe and read previous newsletters on the MIPN website.

Iowa Native Plant Society discussion group

The Iowa Native Plant Society maintains a discussion group available to anyone interested in native plants.

Professional organizations

Belonging to one or more of the following organizations can be an avenue for making professional connections and keeping up with innovations in vegetation management: 

Taking advantage of the Living Roadway Trust Fund

Since 1990, counties have enjoyed support from the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Living Roadway Trust Fund (LRTF). Roadside managers submit applications each year to acquire resources for their program. The LRTF does not fund salaries, trucks, or tractors. While eligibility for this funding requires only that a county have an Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management (IRVM) plan on file with the LRTF, a county’s level of commitment to IRVM is a factor when grants are awarded. Having a full-time roadside manager demonstrates a strong commitment. Applications are due June 1 each year.

Typical equipment needed for a program

LRTF grants can be used to cover 80–100% of the cost of most of these items. See the latest LRTF Funding Guidelines or contact the LRTF coordinator to verify if LRTF funds can be used for a particular purchase. 

Roadside vegetation inventories  

The most effective roadside management starts with an accurate picture of the condition of roadsides in the county or city. A roadside vegetation inventory helps decision makers set management priorities and provides baseline data for measuring program success.

Information collected in a roadside vegetation inventory includes herbaceous cover, tree and brush cover, weed concerns, bare areas, and areas with erosion and encroachment. The inventory development process typically involves a windshield survey, which means observing the roadside conditions while driving throughout the county or city. Windshield survey observations can be recorded every quarter mile or whatever interval is needed. Those conducting the inventory must be able to identify weeds, distinguish native prairie vegetation from non-native grasses, and recognize areas of erosion and encroachment. If more than one individual is conducting the inventory in separate vehicles, training must be provided to ensure accurate, uniform data collection.

LRTF funds can be used to hire someone to do the inventory. The roadside manager and county engineer make the plan for the inventory process and train the person who does the inventory so the collected data will be accurate and useful. Allow six to eight weeks to complete the inventory. It is ideal to conduct the inventory in late summer or fall since this is the easiest time to identify stands of native vegetation.

If paid for by LRTF grant funding, rules stipulate that roadside inventories must be recorded on GPS devices. The LRTF provides free software for collecting and recording roadside inventory information. The LRTF also funds the purchase of GPS units, mapping software and laptop computers.

People who may be hired to conduct a roadside vegetation inventory include:

Identify prairie remnants

Every county in the state has a few roadsides containing small patches of native plants descended from the original prairie. These prairie remnants may possess just a few species or they may be quite diverse. Either way, they provide a glimpse into the past and are valued as sources of genetic material and models for future prairie restoration. They merit protection.

Look for prairie remnants in places like an old railroad right-of-way that parallels the highway or land that may have been too rocky or wet to till. A thorough survey of roadsides in your jurisdiction is the best way to document the location of remnants and prevent their destruction. Generally, do not try to enhance a remnant by inter-seeding with native seed unless that seed comes from remnants in the immediate vicinity.   

Native seed from the Iowa Roadside Management Office

Since 1998, nearly all native seed planted in Iowa rights-of-way has been provided to counties and cities at no cost to them. The seed has been paid for with Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) grant funding secured by the Iowa Roadside Management Office at the Tallgrass Prairie Center. The FHWA program providing the grant funding has undergone several name changes over the years and is currently the Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program. These funds are approved annually. 

Prior to requesting free seed, counties and cities must file an approved IRVM plan with the LRTF and provide the labor and equipment to plant the seed. These native seed mixes have a value of $250–350 per acre and can only be used in road rights-of-way. For example, the seed cannot be used along trails that are outside of road rights-of-way.

Each September or October, the TPC roadside program manager emails eligible counties and cities to solicit seed requests for the subsequent year. Roadside managers will need to decide how many acres they would like to receive and provide maps showing where seed will be drilled or planted using heavy equipment that may cause rutting of the soil greater than 6 inches. The Iowa DOT archaeologist will review this information to ensure no Indigenous burial sites will be impacted. Maps do not need to be provided for sites that will be hydroseeded or broadcast seeded since these methods cause only shallow soil disturbance that will not affect burial mounds.

The seed is typically distributed over a two-day period in April, May, or June at the shed south of the Tallgrass Prairie Center. The seed must be planted by December 31 of the following year. The FHWA requires recipients to provide a seed report with maps every six months showing where the seed was planted.

A few counties have created their own seed production plots to supplement the seed they obtain from the Iowa Roadside Management Office. Counties also occasionally purchase seed from commercial sources to supplement what they receive from the Iowa Roadside Management Office.

Create data collection tools and processes needed to evaluate the program

GIS mapping tools can be used to record data on roadside management activities such as brush cutting, spraying, and invasive species removal.