Example 34 : NYSDOT's Draft Metric for Assessing Performance of Integrated Vegetation Management on the ROW

PRINCIPLE #1: COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS

1.1 Vegetation management shall respect all national and local laws, for example, use of pesticides by certified applicators, Best Management Practices and other protective measures for water quality, that exist within the state or other appropriate jurisdiction ( s ) in which the operations occur.

1.2 Vegetation management areas should be protected from unauthorized activities.

PRINCIPLE #2: TENURE AND USE RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILTIES

2.1. Clear evidence of long-term land use rights ( e.g., land title or lease agreements ) should be demonstrated, including clearly identified, on-the-ground land boundaries.

PRINCIPLE #3: COMMUNITY RELATIONS AND WORKERS' RIGHTS

3.1. The communities adjacent to the vegetation management area should be given opportunities for other professional services from the vegetation manager such as representation in local civic activities, e.g., Earth Day clean-up, Arbor Day plantings, etc. or contribution to public education about vegetation management practices in conjunction with schools, community colleges, and/or other providers of training and education.

3.2. Vegetation management meets or exceeds all applicable laws and regulations covering health and safety of employees, including the development and implementation of safety programs and procedures that include:

a ) Well-maintained and safe machinery and equipment

b ) Use of safety equipment appropriate to each task

c ) Documentation and posting of safety procedure in the workplace

d ) Education and training

e ) Contracts with safety requirements

f ) Safety records, training reports, and certificates

PRINCIPLE #4: UNDERSTANDING PEST AND ECOSYSTEM DYNAMICS

4.1. Vegetation managers are knowledgeable about the managed ecosystem, especially with regard to the basic biology and ecology of all organisms in the system, and the environment in which they live.

4.2. Research and development activities are engaged to produce missing basic information on ecology of the managed ecosystem.

4.3. Vegetation managers are provided opportunities to improve their skills and knowledge through training.

PRINCIPLE #5: SETTING MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES AND TOLERANCE LEVELS

5.1. Management planning, including the development of management objectives, shall incorporate the results of evaluations of social impact. Consultations should be maintained with people and groups directly affected by management operations ( see also PRINCIPLE #8 ) .

5.2. Tolerance levels are used to develop thresholds for when vegetation management activities are applied to control vegetation.

5.3. People and groups affected by management operations are apprised of proposed vegetation management activities and associated environmental and aesthetic effects in order to solicit their comments or concerns.

5.4. Significant concerns identified in Criteria 5.1 and 5.3 are addressed in management policies and plans ( for example, management activities are modified in response to concerns, or a rationale is provided for not responding to a concern ) .

PRINCIPLE #6. COMPILATION OF A BROAD ARRAY OF TREATMENT OPTIONS

6.1. A wide variety of different mechanical, physical, chemical, cultural, and biological/ecological treatments are available for use/consideration on all sites.

6.2. New treatments are progressively added to the vegetation management program, with emphasis on non-herbicide alternatives.

6.3. Where possible, treatments are featured that lead to, directly or indirectly, pest prevention and biological and ecological control of pests.

PRINCIPLE #7: ACCOUNTING FOR ECONOMIC AND ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF TREATMENTS

7.1. Vegetation management should strive toward economic viability, while taking into account the full environmental, social, and operational costs of vegetation management. Treatment choices are made with full consideration of cost effectiveness, including a wide array of positive and negative environmental externalities, as follows.

a ) Water resources: perennial and ephemeral streams, wetlands, vernal pools, seeps ( see also Criterion 7.5 )

b ) Wildlife: common plants, animals and their habitats, and imperiled, threatened, and endangered species and their habitats ( according to state and federal statutory listings )

c ) Biodiversity: efforts are made to control invasive, exotic plants; also, if state or federal listings and species databases indicate the likely presence of a rare, threatened or endangered species or plant community type, either a survey is conducted prior to management activities being carried out ( to verify the species presence or absence ) or the vegetation manager manages as if the species were present. If an applicable species and plant community type is determined to be present, its location is reported to the manager of the applicable database, and necessary modification are made in both the management plan and its implementation.

d ) Aesthetics: visual impacts of treatments are assessed.

Written guidelines should be prepared and implemented to address management of these resources.

7.2. Management systems shall promote the development and adoption of environmentally-sensitive, non-chemical methods of pest management and strive to minimize the use of chemical pesticides. If chemicals are used, proper equipment and training should be provided to minimize health and environmental risks. ( See also Criterion 1.1 )

7.3. Chemicals are used to control plants only when non-chemical management practices have proven ineffective or cost prohibitive.

7.4. When chemicals are used, a section is included in the prescription that fully describes the risks and benefits of their use and the precautions that workers must employ. Records are kept to document the occurrence of pests, measures to control them, and incidences of worker exposure to chemicals.

7.5. Broken and leaking equipment and parts are repaired and removed from a right-of-way as they may contaminate a site with fuel, oil, or other chemicals; discarded parts are taken to a designated disposal facility. Equipment is not parked in riparian zones, or near groundwater supplies, where fluid can leak into them.

7.6. Chemicals, containers, liquid and solid non-organic wastes including fuel and oil should be disposed of in an environmentally appropriate manner at off-site locations. ( See also Criterion 1.1 )

7.7. Use of exotic species in planting is carefully controlled and actively monitored to avoid adverse ecological impacts. Furthermore, use of exotic plant species is contingent on peer-reviewed scientific evidence that any species in question is non-invasive and does not diminish biodiversity. If non-invasive exotic plant species are used, the location of their use is documented, and their ecological effects actively monitored.

7.8. Special cultural, ecological, economic or religious resources should be clearly identified, recognized and protected by vegetation managers.

PRINCIPLE #8: MANAGEMENT PLANNING

8.1. A strategic management plan and supporting documents must be in place that provide:

a ) Management objectives

b ) Description of the resources to be managed ( e.g., water, wildlife, aesthetics ) and socioeconomic conditions, and a profile of adjacent lands

c ) Description of the vegetation management system, based on the ecology of the ecosystem in question and information gathered through resource inventories

d ) Provisions for monitoring

e ) Environmental limitations and safeguards based on environmental assessments

f ) Plans for biodiversity

g ) Maps describing the resource base.

8.2. Tactical management plans are developed that report local considerations and activity plans on a year-by-year basis.

8.3. Strategic and tactical management plans should be periodically revised to incorporate the results of monitoring or new scientific and technical information, as well as to respond to changing environmental, social, and economic circumstances.

8.4. A summary of vegetation management activities is produced annually, and both strategic and tactical management plans are revised at least every 10 years.

8.5. Workers shall receive adequate training and supervision to ensure proper implementation of the management plans.

8.6. While respecting the confidentiality of information, vegetation managers shall make publicly available a summary of primary elements of the management plan, including those listed in Criterion 8.1.

PRINCIPLE #9: SITE SPECIFIC IMPLEMENTATION OF TREATMENTS

9.1. Land management units are designated within rights-of-way, for example, buffers to protect water resources, conservation areas, and vegetative communities that may cause a change in successional directions and rate or warrant different vegetation treatment.

9.2. Written prescriptions ( or operational plans ) are used to describe/prescribe treatments on a land management unit basis, and justify treatment choices using ecological, socioeconomic and administrative opportunities and constraints.

Prescriptions should include:

a ) Land management unit designation

b ) Description of current vegetation and environmental conditions

c ) Desired future conditions

e ) Definition of treatment

f ) Justifications for treatment based on tolerance thresholds ( also see PRINCIPLE # 5 ) and ecological, environmental, socioeconomic, and administrative considerations

g ) Site-specific maps that detail land management units, and show important cultural and environmental features

9.3. Prescriptions and the decision to treat are based on contemporary inventories of vegetation and environmental conditions.

PRINCIPLE #10: ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT AND MONITORING

10.1 Monitoring procedures should be consistent and replicable over time to allow comparison of results and assessment of change. Implementation of the strategic and tactical management plans are periodically monitored to assess:

a ) The degree to which the management vision, goals, and objectives have been achieved

b ) Deviations from the plan

c ) Unexpected effects of management activities and other disturbances

d ) Social and environmental effects of management

10.2. Vegetation management should include the research and data collection needed to monitor, at a minimum, the following indicators:

a ) Condition of the right-of-way

b ) Composition and changes in the flora and fauna

c ) Environmental and social impacts of operations

d ) Chemical use

e ) Cost, productivity, and efficiency of vegetation management

10.3. Results of monitoring should be incorporated into the implementation and revision of the management plan.

10.4. While respecting the confidentiality of information, vegetation managers shall make publicly available a summary of the results of monitoring indicators, including those listed in 10.1.