I.R.V.M.-Brush Removal

For pictures of brush projects click here!

Yet another aspect of I.R.V.M. in Mahaska County is the removal of roadside brush. This does several things for both the roadside and the road.

When a road ditch becomes choked with brush, several problems can arise. Brush filled road ditches can easily create visibility problems for drivers, reduce driver recovery time, fall upon the road creating a hazard an allow wildlife to enter a road without being seen by a driver.

The brush in road ditches also creates problems for the roads. They shade the roads in the spring delaying melting and drying and making slick spots on the gravel. Brush also lets the road drift in when the snow starts blowing.

In the last few years, we have gone towards using heavy equipment in our brush removal endeavors. Using this system, we can clear miles of roadside brush each year. The machinery eliminates the need for crews to cut the brush up into manageable pieces.

Entire trees are now carried to piles and burned. Stumps are to be cut as low as possible and treated with Tordon or Pathway. This prevents vehicle damage if the car leaves the road and the stump treatment prevents re-sprouting so we do not have to return to a job site once it has been done.

Our brush removal has improved significantly. We also target a quarter of the county each year for brush spraying. We rotate that every year and this year (2002) we will be in the southeast quarter of Mahaska County.

Controlled burns also help us in our quest to eliminate brush. It is all part of the integrated idea. There is no one right way. But, if we use these techniques in coordination with one another, we realize greater success.

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