Lane County Roads - Herbicide Free
Lane County Public Works is one of the few Counties, if not the only one in the nation
that manages roadside vegetation on over 1,400 road miles without the use of
herbicides. Lane County Department of Public Works self imposed a moratorium on
the use of herbicides for roadside vegetation management in August of 2003 with
adoption of the Lane County Last Resort Policy, Ordinance 12-03.
The Last Resort Policy was developed from public concerns about the potential
human health risks associated with the use of herbicides in vegetation management
practices along County roadways. The policy was drafted with input from members of
the public, representatives from the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides
and County Commissioners.
Lane County adopted the Last Resort policy in 2003 and Public Works staffs
worked to develop a Management Prescription Plan to develop an Integrated
Vegetation Management Program that adhered to the regulations established in Last
Resort Policy. Both the Management Prescription Plan and a permitted herbicide
products listed was approved by the Board of Health on April 26th, 2006, laying the
groundwork for implementation of the Last Resort Policy for Lane County roadways.
With adoption of both the Management Prescription Plan and the approved
herbicide products list, Lane County Public Works continued to develop a holistic
integrated vegetation management program, including the limited use of herbicides for
noxious and invasive plant control, partnership efforts, guardrail maintenance and
planned use for our County crack-seal program. With continued public concerns the
Board of County Commissioners on January 2nd, 2008 issued an indefinite moratorium
on the use of herbicides for vegetation management along the entire County road
system.
Lane County’s integrated vegetation management program continues to be
guided by the County Commissioner imposed indefinite moratorium on the use of
herbicides for roadside vegetation management. Lane County continues to manage
roadside vegetation through a mechanical/manual driven program without the use of
herbicides.