314.22 - INTEGRATED ROADSIDE VEGETATION MANAGEMENT.

        314.22  INTEGRATED ROADSIDE VEGETATION MANAGEMENT.         1.  Objectives.  It is declared to be in the general public      welfare of Iowa and a highway purpose for the vegetation of Iowa's      roadsides to be preserved, planted, and maintained to be safe,      visually interesting, ecologically integrated, and useful for many      purposes.  The state department of transportation shall provide an      integrated roadside vegetation management plan and program which      shall be designed to accomplish all of the following:         a.  Maintain a safe travel environment.         b.  Serve a variety of public purposes including erosion      control, wildlife habitat, climate control, scenic qualities, weed      control, utility easements, recreation uses, and sustenance of water      quality.         c.  Be based on a systematic assessment of conditions existing      in roadsides, preservation of valuable vegetation and habitats in the      area, and the adoption of a comprehensive plan and strategies for      cost-effective maintenance and vegetation planting.         d.  Emphasize the establishment of adaptable and long-lived      vegetation, often native species, matched to the unique environment      found in and adjacent to the roadside.         e.  Incorporate integrated management practices for the      long-term control of damaging insect populations, weeds, and invader      plant species.         f.  Build upon a public education program allowing input from      adjacent landowners and the general public.         g.  Accelerate efforts toward increasing and expanding the      effectiveness of plantings to reduce wind-induced and water- induced      soil erosion and to increase deposition of snow in desired locations.         h.  Incorporate integrated roadside vegetation management with      other state agency planning and program activities including the      recreation trails program, scenic highways, open space, and tourism      development efforts.  Agencies should annually report their progress      in this area to the general assembly.         2.  Counties may adopt plans.  A county may adopt an      integrated roadside vegetation management plan consistent with the      integrated roadside vegetation management plan adopted by the      department under subsection 1.         3.  Integrated roadside vegetation management technical advisory      committee.         a.  The director of the department shall appoint members to an      integrated roadside vegetation management technical advisory      committee which is created to provide advice on the development and      implementation of a statewide integrated roadside vegetation      management plan and program and related projects.  The department      shall report annually in January to the general assembly regarding      its activities and those of the committee.  Activities of the      committee may include, but are not limited to, providing advice and      assistance in the following areas:         (1)  Research efforts.         (2)  Demonstration projects.         (3)  Education and orientation efforts for property owners, public      officials, and the general public.         (4)  Activities of the integrated roadside vegetation management      coordinator for integrated roadside vegetation management.         (5)  Reviewing applications for funding assistance.         (6)  Securing funding for research and demonstrations.         (7)  Determining needs for revising the state weed law and other      applicable Code sections.         (8)  Liaison with the Iowa state association of counties, the Iowa      league of cities, and other organizations for integrated roadside      vegetation management purposes.         b.  The director may appoint any number of persons to the      committee but, at a minimum, the committee shall consist of all of      the following:         (1)  One member representing the utility industry.         (2)  One member from the Iowa academy of sciences.         (3)  One member representing county government.         (4)  One member representing city government.         (5)  Two members representing the private sector including      community interest groups.         (6)  One member representing soil conservation interests.         (7)  One member representing the department of natural resources.         (8)  One member representing county conservation boards.         Members of the committee shall serve without compensation, but may      be reimbursed for allowable expenses from the living roadway trust      fund created under section 314.21.  No more than a simple majority of      the members of the committee shall be of the same gender as provided      in section 69.16A.  The director of the department shall appoint the      chair of the committee and shall establish a minimum schedule of      meetings for the committee.         4.  Integrated roadside vegetation management coordinator. The      integrated roadside vegetation management coordinator shall      administer the department's integrated roadside vegetation management      plan and program.  The department may create the position of      integrated roadside vegetation management coordinator within the      department or may contract for the services of the coordinator.  The      duties of the coordinator include, but are not limited to, the      following:         a.  Conducting education and awareness programs.         b.  Providing technical advice to the department and the      department of natural resources, counties, and cities.         c.  Conducting demonstration projects.         d.  Coordinating inventory and implementation activities.         e.  Providing assistance to local community-based groups for      undertaking community entryway projects.         f.  Being a clearinghouse for information from Iowa projects      as well as from other states.         g.  Periodically distributing information related to      integrated roadside vegetation management.         h.  General coordination of research efforts.         i.  Other duties assigned by the director of transportation.         5.  Education programs.  The department shall develop      educational programs and provide educational materials for the      general public, landowners, governmental employees, and board members      as part of its program for integrated roadside vegetation management.      The educational program shall provide all of the following:         a.  The development of public service announcements and      television programs about the importance of roadside vegetation in      Iowa.         b.  The expansion of existing training sessions and      educational curriculum materials for county weed commissioners,      government contract sprayers, maintenance staff, and others to      include coverage of integrated roadside management topics such as      basic plant species identification, vegetation preservation,      vegetation inventory techniques, vegetation management and planning      procedures, planting techniques, maintenance, communication, and      public relations.  County and municipal engineers, public works      staffs, planning and zoning representatives, parks and habitat      managers, and others should be encouraged to participate.         c.  The conducting of statewide and regional conferences and      seminars about integrated roadside vegetation management, community      entryways, scenic values of land adjoining roadsides, and other      topics relating to roadside vegetation.         d.  The preparation, display, and distribution of a variety of      public relations material, in order to better inform and educate the      traveling public on roadside vegetation management activities.  The      public relations material shall inform motorists of a variety of      roadside vegetation issues including all of the following:         (1)  Benefits of various types of roadside vegetation.         (2)  Long-term results expected from planting and maintenance      practices.         (3)  Purposes for short-term disturbances in the roadside      landscapes.         (4)  Interesting aspects of the Iowa landscape and individual      landscape regions.         (5)  Other aspects relating to wildlife and soil erosion.         e.  Preparation and distribution of educational material      designed to inform adjoining property owners, farm operators, and      others of the importance of roadside vegetation and their      responsibilities of proper stewardship of that vegetation resource.         6.  Research and demonstration projects.  The department, as      part of its plan to provide integrated roadside vegetation      management, shall conduct research and feasibility studies including      demonstration projects of different kinds at a variety of locations      around the state.  The research and feasibility studies may be      conducted in, but are not limited to, any of the following areas:         a.  Cost effectiveness or comparison of planting, establishing      and maintaining alternative or warm-season, native grass and forb      roadside vegetation and traditional cool-season nonnative vegetation.         b.  Identification of the relationship that roadsides and      roadside vegetation have to maintaining water quality, through      drainage wells, sediment and pollutant collection and filtration, and      other means.         c.  Impacts of burning as an alternative vegetation management      tool on all categories of roads.         d.  Techniques for more quickly establishing erosion control      and permanent vegetative cover on recently disturbed ground as well      as interplanting native species in existing vegetative cover.         e.  Effectiveness of techniques for reduced or selected use of      herbicides to control weeds.         f.  Identification of cross section and slope steepness design      standards which provide for motorist safety as well as for improved      establishment, maintenance, and replacement of different types of      vegetation.         g.  Identification of a uniform inventory and assessment      technique which could be used by many counties in establishing      integrated roadside management programs.         h.  Equipment innovations for seeding and harvesting grasses      in difficult terrain settings, roadway ditches, and fore-slopes and      back-slopes.         i.  Identification of the perceptions of motorists and      landowners to various types of roadside vegetation and configuration      of plantings.         j.  Market or economic feasibility studies for native seed,      forb, and woody plant production and propagation.         k.  Impacts of vegetation modifications on increasing or      decreasing wildlife populations in rural and urban areas.         l.  Effects of vegetation on the number and location of      wildlife road-kills in rural and urban areas.         m.  Costs to the public for improper off-site resource      management adjacent to roadsides.         n.  Advantages, disadvantages, and techniques of establishing      pedestrian access adjacent to highways and their impacts on      vegetation management.         o.  Identification of alternative techniques for snow      catchment on farmland adjacent to roadsides.         7.  Gateways program.  The department shall develop a gateways      program to provide meaningful visual impacts including major new      plantings at the important highway entry points to the state and its      communities.  Substantial and distinctive plantings shall also be      designed and installed at these points.  Creative and artistic design      solutions shall be sought for these improvements.  Communications      about these projects shall be provided to local groups in order to      build community involvement, support, and understanding of their      importance.  Consideration shall be given to a requirement that      gateways projects produce a local match or contribution toward the      overall project cost.         8.  Vegetation inventories and strategies.         a.  The department shall coordinate and compile integrated      roadside vegetation inventories, classification systems, plans, and      implementation strategies for roadsides.  Areas of increased program      and project emphasis may include, but are not limited to, all of the      following:         (1)  Additional development and funding of state gateways      projects.         (2)  Accelerated replacement of dead and unhealthy plants with      native and hardy trees and shrubs.         (3)  Special interest plantings at selected highly visible      locations along primary and interstate highways.         (4)  Pilot and demonstration projects.         (5)  Additional snow and erosion control plantings.         (6)  Welcome center and rest area plantings with native and      aesthetically interesting species to create mini-arboretums around      the state.         b.  The department shall coordinate and compile a      reconnaissance of lands to develop an inventory of sites having the      potential of being harvested for native grass, forb, and woody plant      material seed and growing stock.  Highway right-of-ways, parks and      recreation areas, converted railroad right-of-ways, state board of      regents' property, lands owned by counties, and other types of public      property shall be surveyed and documented for seed source potential.      Sites volunteered by private organizations may also be included in      the inventory.  Inventory information shall be made available to      state agencies' staffs, county engineers, county conservation board      directors, and others.  
         Section History: Recent Form
         89 Acts, ch 246, §6; 95 Acts, ch 3, §2         Referred to in § 314.13, 314.21, 317.11